The King of Time

Khlebnikov, who together with Mayakovsky was a principal figure in the Futurist group, is famous both as a poet and a utopian thinker. He is well known for his radical linguistic theories and experimentation, for his idiosyncratic theories of historical recurrence, and for his nomadic, nonmaterialistic life. His highly complex works, rich in meaning, include a large number of lyric poems, narrative poems, stories, and essays that, over the decades, have influenced many younger poets.

Despite the enormous difficulty of translating Khlebnikov, selections from his writings have appeared in many languages. Paul Schmidt has in progress an English translation of most of his texts, so far well received.

020