‎How To Make Verse by Vladimir Mayakovsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Even though this was written a century ago and refers to historical events of that era, I found myself forgetting that this is not an exploration about contemporary poetry. The value that Mayakovsky places on music and prosody in poetry — without being an advocate for traditional meter — fits well with the current state of free verse which has begun to embrace rhythmic innovation and irregular consonance. And his Marxism veers from enthusiasm to a willingness to (almost!) dismiss any dogma that becomes an obstacle to the poetry. In fact, his dedication to art over political demands provides an example current writers can still learn from.



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