Verbal and Visual Translation of Mayakovsky’s and Lissitsky’s For Reading Out Loud

Abstract

Full understanding of visual poetry created by a linguistically different culture poses particular problems. Translations of selected poems from Vladimir Mayakovsky’s For Reading Out Loud (1923) are presented here. In addition, an attempt is made at transposing the visual wordplays found in the original Cyrillic typography into the Roman alphabet. The English reader is able to enjoy the verbal/visual dexterity of El Lissitsky’s typographic presentations of Mayakovsky’s poems. Analysis of the design process and some historical background provides a context for fuller understanding of Lissitsky’s innovative work.