Selected Poems (Northwestern World Classics) Paperback – June 30, 2013

The true accomplishment of McGavran's translations of Mayakovsky is their keen insight into the intersection between not only the "personal Mayakovsky" and "political Mayakovsky," but also between the "My rhymes are the flyest rhymes!" blowhard braggart and the actual skilled wordsmith. The fascinating story of Mayakovsky's poetry is how a writer can succeed despite himself: while his high opinion of the value of poets (and himself) gives his words the aura of snake-oil wares, we are nonetheless drawn in by the moments that he actually delivers the poetic goods (in particular, see the Woodrow Wilson section of "150,000,000"). This collection captures the power of the poet/wannabe's achievement by revealing that Mayakovsky's unabashed, at-times-sleazy vacuum-cleaner-salesman of a persona, a persona that screams "Buyer beware!" and begs the reader to regard his words with suspicion and disbelief, is somehow not simply selling a crappy old Hoover. The marvel of this book, in my opinion, is in its revelation that a puffed-up egoist who in many ways was fooling himself about himself was also, in spite of all this, at times a great poet.

Great shape

This translation is a complete abomination. In fact, this is hardly Mayakovsky at all. The intimate yell has here been quelled into a prosaic whimper. The dude doesn't even stay faithful to Mayakovsky's verse form. Look elsewhere.