answer to old question (Maiakovskii)

[Steven Hill]

Dear helpful colleagues,

Instead of raising any new questions, this time I'm happy to report a nearly full
answer to an old question.  And to thank all those of you good folks who offered
helpful replies, suggestions, and bibliogr. references.

My old question had been the search for a bibliogr. ref. to a "slanderous"
necrology in a Paris periodical, after the suicide of Maiakovskii in April 1930,
an obituary which seemed to arouse the fury of (pro-Soviet) commentators.

My memory had been wrong -- the author of the much criticized obituary
was not a name like Levidov -- or Khodasevich, either.  Rather, it was ANDRE(I)
LEVINSON.  Levinson's article was published in a Paris weekly, LES NOUVELLES
LITTERAIRES, May 31, 1930.  Levinson, evidently, dared to speak the
unspeakable, in that time of Soviet-worship and Stalin-worship, namely, that
Maiakovskii's undoubted talent had been debased and his personality had been
depressed by an undemocratic, censorious, authoritarian Soviet regime. Ouch!

Apparently the brunt of the furor, following Levinson's article, came in a
rejoinder (published again in LES NOUVELLES LITTERAIRES),  signed by
108 French (leftist) commentators.  Again I had been wrong in thinking the
counter-attackers were Soviet Russians -- turns out, they were pro-Soviet French.
One of those 108 signatories, Louis Aragon (in effect, the brother-in-law of Lily
Brik), followed the vehement printed counter-attack on the "vile slanderer"
Levinson by, allegedly, an even more vehement attack of a physical nature.  Aragon
reportedly went to Levinson's residence,  smashed up his kitchen, and attacked
Levinson physically!  At that time, evidently, anyone questioning the "greatness"
of the Soviet system did so at his/her own peril...

[A recent discussion of this scandal -- and some kind words for the once demonized
Levinson -- can  be found in Arkadii Vaksberg's rather speculative & gossipy
book,  "Zagadka i magiia Lili Brik" (Astrel', M. 2004), pp. 274-75.]


With gratitude,
Steven P Hill,
Univ. of Illinois (USA).
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