The Futurist Vasily Kamensky and Armenian literary community

Abstract

   In their study that draws on Tiflis-based Armenian periodicals of 1916, A. Zakaryan and S. Petoyan discuss the diverse talents of Vasily Kamensky (1884–1961): a Futurist poet, prose writer, actor, aviator, and artist. On his trip to Armenia, Kamensky lectured, mostly on Futurism, and sought admission to the Armenian literary community. He frequented the Friday gatherings of T. Nazaryan’s literary-artistic salon and lent a hand in the donations department of the Caucasus Committee of the Union of Cities. It was in Armenia that he published his poetic collection ‘Barefoot Girls’ [‘Devushki bosikom’] and the long poem ‘Tzuvamma.’ Kamensky’s poetic experiments influenced the younger generation of Armenian poets, notably Y. Charents. The fact that Kamensky and his works enjoyed deep appreciation among diverse strata of Armenian society singles him out as one of the first representatives of modern Russian literature to have left a lasting impact on the Armenian literary scene.