"Poetry of Approaching Democracy" – Translations of the Poetry of Walt Whitman and Articles on his Work – Korney ...

"Poetry of Approaching Democracy" – Translations of the Poetry of Walt Whitman and Articles on his Work – Korney Chukovsky – Moscow-St. Petersburg, 1923
Уот Уитмэн, поэзия грядущей демократии / Уот Уитмэн и его "Листья травы" [Walt Whitman – Poetry of Approaching Democracy / Walt Whitman and his "Leaves of Grass"], by Korney Chukovsky. Moscow-Petrograd (Moscow-St. Petersburg): Государственное издательство [State Publisher], 1923. Russian. Cover illustration: Evgeny Belukha (Евгений Дмитриевич Белуха).
Anthology of articles by the Russian author and children's poet Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (1882-1969) on the subject of American poet Walt Whitman and his work, alongside translations of selected poems from Whitman's famous book "Leaves of Grass." The author's translation of poems from "Leaves of Grass" was a groundbreaking milestone in exposing and familiarizing the Russian public with Whitman's poetry. A portrait of Whitman appears opposite the title page.
The illustration on the cover is the work of Russian artist, illustrator, and graphic designer Evgeny Dmitrievich Belukha (1889-1943). It shows the American "Stars and Stripes" juxtaposed with the Red Flag of the Russian Revolution, with both superimposed over the backdrop of an urban landscape. This symbolism points to the connection of some of the poems in "Leaves of Grass" to the theme of urbanization.
[1] portrait plate., 165, [2] pp., 23.5 cm. Book block in very good condition. Cover in good condition. Minor tears to cover and spine. Few stains. Front cover and spine partly detached from book block.
Provenance: The Uzi Agassi Collection.