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The Championship of the Universal Class Struggle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2021

Extract

The Championship of the Universal Class Struggle, a circus scenario, was written in the Fall of 1920 during Mayakovsky's work at Window ROSTA. It is possible to establish almost the exact date from the text. The line stating that Pilsudski, the Polish Champion, “doesn't want to fight anymore” refers to the armistice at the Polish front concluded on Oct 20, 1920. In the last lines, the Referee urges spectators to join the Red Army in the fight against Wrangel; the Red Army defeated Wrangel on Nov. 15, 1920. Thus, “The Championship” must have been written between Oct. 20 and Nov. 15, 1920.

The propaganda themes and characters from “Championship” are also present in other works written by Mayakovsky in the Fall of 1920. The title, The Championship of the Universal Class Struggle, is a line in the poem “150,000,000” written in 1919-20.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1973 The Drama Review

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References

1 Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

2 Police.

3 Gurzuf is a city in the Crimea, which was occupied during this period by Wrangel.

4 Caucasian hat made of sheepskin.