Seeing the pen as a bayonet: The extremities of Vladimir Mayakovsky’s utopian imagination

Abstract

When examined retrospectively, some poetry can be seen as using scandal and rebellion to defy social norms. Vladimir Mayakovsky’s poetry criticised the repression and conservatism ingrained in the fabric of Tsarist Russia; a society defined by bourgeois, capitalistic and heteronormative values. As a passionate Bolshevik, the alienation induced by the restrictive external world caused Mayakovsky to use poetry for its most extreme, subversive means in inciting revolution. While viewing Mayakovsky as a political voice for the proletariat is a commonly held view, an often overlooked aspect is how poetry was used to convey his sexual expression. When considered amidst the repressive views on sexuality that were characteristic of both Tsarist and even Soviet Russia, the flamboyant poet was consistently prone to controversy.