An Appeal

[Ron Vroon]

Dear Colleagues:

 We are writing to ask for your assistance in preserving an endangered
 cultural institution and scholarly resource. The Velimir Khlebnikov Museum
 in Astrakhan' was founded a little over a decade ago in the home that
 belonged to the poet's family. Since then, under the selfless directorship
 of Alexander Mamaev, it has developed into an important cultural monument
in
 the city. The museum serves a a research center housing the personal
 effects of the poet and his family, an extensive library and exhibitions
 relating to Khlebnikov and the avant-garde in Russia.  Very recently the
 museum suffered a catastrophic breakdown of its infrastructure,
 with extensive moisture damage threatening both the structure and the
 exhibitions.  Unfortunately the Astrakhan Art Gallery, under whose aegis
the
 Khlebnikov Museum operates, lacks the funds to carry out the minimal
 necessary repairs, and the very difficult economic conditions in Astrakhan'
 offer little hope of local support being made available. The repairs have
 been estimated to cost roughly $3500.

 As members of the newly-formed Friends of the Khlebnikov Museum, we appeal
to
 all our colleagues to assist in raising this sum. You can do so by making a
 tax-deductible contribution to The Chekhov Publishing Corporation, an
 institution that has supported various scholarly and cultural endeavors in
 the Russian field and that has kindly agreed to help in this effort.
Chekhov
 Publishing is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt public-supported foundation and
 contributions to it are tax-deductible as defined by the Internal Revenue
 Service.

 Please send your check, made payable to "Chekhov Publishing Corporation"
and
 marked "Khlebnikov Museum Project", to:

 Mr. Edward Kline, President
 Chekhov Publishing Corporation
 1165 Park Avenue, Apt. 5D
 New York, NY 10128

 Your contribution will be promptly acknowledged.

 To our colleagues outside the US: because bank charges for checks from
other
 countries may be very sizeable, we suggest that you first contact either
one
 of us prior to sending your contribution.

 We know that in this season of giving all of you have various calls on your
 generosity, but hope that you will find it possible to be generous in this
 case as well. The Khlebnikov Museum is a vital cultural monument, important
 for Russians and for ourselves as scholars and students of Russian
 literature and culture. Please assist in this urgent effort to preserve it
 for future generations.

 Henryk Baran
Professor
University at Albany
e-mail: hbaran at verizon.net

Ronald Vroon
Professor
UCLA
e-mail: vroon at humnet.ucla.edu

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