Ирониада, лирика, май-июнь 1930 г. [the Ironyad: Lyrics, May-June 1930], by Aleksei Kruchenykh. Moscow: Издание автора (pblished by the author), 1930. Russian. Printed in 250 copies.

Late lyrical poems and late avant-garde works by Aleksei Kruchenykh.

Lithographic cover by Ivan Kliun. On page 9, an illustration by Igor Terentiev (Игорь Герасимович Терентьев; 1892-1937), poet, theater director and another prominent representative of the Russian avant-garde movement.

[1] printed cover, 17 leaves (printed on one side). Approx. 18X22 cm. Good condition. Tears and minor wear to edges of cover and spine.

Two variants of the title page are known to exist – the title page of this booklet states it was printed in 250 copies; other known copies state the booklet was printed in 150 copies (however, researchers believe the circulation did not exceed 150 copies).

MoMA 873.

Aleksei Kruchenykh (Алексе́й Елисе́евич Кручёных; 1886-1968) was a poet and theoretician; one of the most radical representatives of Russian Futurism. Kruchenykh is considered the inventor of the "Zaum" language (Russian: "beyond reason") – an experimental language using meaningless expressions (this literary style is considered a Russian equivalent of Dada, although it preceded it by three years).

In 1916 he founded the literary group "41°" in Tbilisi, and was responsible for its various publications, known for their avant-garde design and unique printing technique. After returning to Moscow, he joined the "LEF" (ЛЕФ) journal.

From the 1930s onwards, following political changes in Soviet Russia, he published less poetry and devoted most of his energy to theoretical work. Among his most famous works is the libretto for the great Futurist opera "Victory over the Sun".

Ivan Kliun (Иван Васильевич Клюн; 1873-1943), painter, sculptor and art theoretician, a prominent artist of the Russian avant-garde.