Tulipunkt : IX. kogu värsse (The Focus : 9th collection of poetry) [Leftist avant-garde poetry]

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Near fine condition; cover shows yellowing and extensive foxing, minorly damaged upper end of the spine; internally foxing on the front flyleaf and on the last page, otherwise almost fine.  An extremely rare and seldom s..

Tags: rare books, first edition books, Estonian, Baltic, Eastern European, leftist, avant-garde, constructivism, cubism, futurism, Johannes Barbarus, Jaan Vahtra

Near fine condition; cover shows yellowing and extensive foxing, minorly damaged upper end of the spine; internally foxing on the front flyleaf and on the last page, otherwise almost fine. 

 

An extremely rare and seldom seen publication, a brilliant example of leftist poetry by prominent Estonian avant-garde poet Johannes Vares-Barbarus (1890–1946). 

 

Verses collection reveal some distancing from author's earlier sensuous poems and futurist urban depictions, and took more realistic turn. Futurism escalated into class struggle, antibourgeois attitudes and radical socialist views. Although, verses still contain plenty of urban references, but with its subtle political line, motifs of power and leadership. The focus is on a sense of liberation, produced by depicting the working masses. 


Book's amazing constructivist publishing cover in red-and-white and experimental typography integrated into the text are considered an excellent representation of avant-garde trend in book design, which was created by famous artist Jaan Vahtra (1882-1947). 

 

Vahtra was one of the most bright talents of Estonian modern art, a founding member of the Estonian Art Group of Cubism and Constructivism. Very important is his creative work of graphic art in journalism and book design. Vahtra mostly created cover designs, which retained the constructivist manner, his works have strong features, retaining a firm composition and legibility of font. He cleansed the cover design of excessive details and over-crowding.

Title Tulipunkt : IX. kogu värsse (The Focus : 9th collection of poetry)
Author Johannes Barbarus
Artist Jaan Vahtra
Publisher Tallinn
Published year 1934
Country Estonia
Edition 1st edition
Binding Soft cover
Octavo 14 x 19 cm
Weight 0.300 kg
No. of pages Wrappers, 159 pp
Language Estonian