What do you think?
Rate this book
What Is Good And What Is Bad
A vintage Soviet era children's book. Rhymes by great poet Mayakovsky and illustration by V.Kirillov.
24 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Vladimir Mayakovsky
505 books615 followersVladimir Mayakovsky (Владимир Владимирович Маяковский) was born the last of three children in Baghdati, Russian Empire (now in Georgia) where his father worked as a forest ranger. His father was of Ukrainian Cossack descent and his mother was of Ukrainian descent. Although Mayakovsky spoke Georgian at school and with friends, his family spoke primarily Russian at home. At the age of 14 Mayakovsky took part in socialist demonstrations at the town of Kutaisi, where he attended the local grammar school. After the sudden and premature death of his father in 1906, the family — Mayakovsky, his mother, and his two sisters — moved to Moscow, where he attended School No. 5.
In Moscow, Mayakovsky developed a passion for Marxist literature and took part in numerous activities of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party; he was to later become an RSDLP (Bolshevik) member. In 1908, he was dismissed from the grammar school because his mother was no longer able to afford the tuition fees.
Around this time, Mayakovsky was imprisoned on three occasions for subversive political activities but, being underage, he avoided transportation. During a period of solitary confinement in Butyrka prison in 1909, he began to write poetry, but his poems were confiscated. On his release from prison, he continued working within the socialist movement, and in 1911 he joined the Moscow Art School where he became acquainted with members of the Russian Futurist movement. He became a leading spokesman for the group Gileas (Гилея), and a close friend of David Burlyuk, whom he saw as his mentor.
The 1912 Futurist publication A Slap in the Face of Public Taste (Пощёчина общественному вкусу) contained Mayakovsky's first published poems: Night (Ночь) and Morning (Утро). Because of their political activities, Burlyuk and Mayakovsky were expelled from the Moscow Art School in 1914.
His work continued in the Futurist vein until 1914. His artistic development then shifted increasingly in the direction of narrative and it was this work, published during the period immediately preceding the Russian Revolution, which was to establish his reputation as a poet in Russia and abroad.
Mayakovsky was rejected as a volunteer at the beginning of WWI, and during 1915-1917 worked at the Petrograd Military Automobile School as a draftsman. At the onset of the Russian Revolution, Mayakovsky was in Smolny, Petrograd. There he witnessed the October Revolution.
After moving back to Moscow, Mayakovsky worked for the Russian State Telegraph Agency (ROSTA) creating — both graphic and text — satirical Agitprop posters. In 1919, he published his first collection of poems Collected Works 1909-1919 (Все сочиненное Владимиром Маяковским). In the cultural climate of the early Soviet Union, his popularity grew rapidly. As one of the few Soviet writers who were allowed to travel freely, his voyages to Latvia, Britain, Germany, the United States, Mexico and Cuba influenced works like My Discovery of America (Мое открытие Америки, 1925). He also travelled extensively throughout the Soviet Union.
The relevance of Mayakovsky's influence cannot be limited to Soviet poetry. While for years he was considered the Soviet poet par excellence, he also changed the perceptions of poetry in wider 20th century culture. His political activism as a propagandistic agitator was rarely understood and often looked upon unfavourably by contemporaries, even close friends like Boris Pasternak. Near the end of the 1920s, Mayakovsky became increasingly disillusioned with the course the Soviet Union was taking under Joseph Stalin: his satirical plays The Bedbug (Клоп, 1929) and The Bathhouse (Баня, 1930), which deal with the Soviet philistinism and bureaucracy, illustrate this development.
On the evening of April 14, 1930, Mayakovsky shot himself.
In Moscow, Mayakovsky developed a passion for Marxist literature and took part in numerous activities of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party; he was to later become an RSDLP (Bolshevik) member. In 1908, he was dismissed from the grammar school because his mother was no longer able to afford the tuition fees.
Around this time, Mayakovsky was imprisoned on three occasions for subversive political activities but, being underage, he avoided transportation. During a period of solitary confinement in Butyrka prison in 1909, he began to write poetry, but his poems were confiscated. On his release from prison, he continued working within the socialist movement, and in 1911 he joined the Moscow Art School where he became acquainted with members of the Russian Futurist movement. He became a leading spokesman for the group Gileas (Гилея), and a close friend of David Burlyuk, whom he saw as his mentor.
The 1912 Futurist publication A Slap in the Face of Public Taste (Пощёчина общественному вкусу) contained Mayakovsky's first published poems: Night (Ночь) and Morning (Утро). Because of their political activities, Burlyuk and Mayakovsky were expelled from the Moscow Art School in 1914.
His work continued in the Futurist vein until 1914. His artistic development then shifted increasingly in the direction of narrative and it was this work, published during the period immediately preceding the Russian Revolution, which was to establish his reputation as a poet in Russia and abroad.
Mayakovsky was rejected as a volunteer at the beginning of WWI, and during 1915-1917 worked at the Petrograd Military Automobile School as a draftsman. At the onset of the Russian Revolution, Mayakovsky was in Smolny, Petrograd. There he witnessed the October Revolution.
After moving back to Moscow, Mayakovsky worked for the Russian State Telegraph Agency (ROSTA) creating — both graphic and text — satirical Agitprop posters. In 1919, he published his first collection of poems Collected Works 1909-1919 (Все сочиненное Владимиром Маяковским). In the cultural climate of the early Soviet Union, his popularity grew rapidly. As one of the few Soviet writers who were allowed to travel freely, his voyages to Latvia, Britain, Germany, the United States, Mexico and Cuba influenced works like My Discovery of America (Мое открытие Америки, 1925). He also travelled extensively throughout the Soviet Union.
The relevance of Mayakovsky's influence cannot be limited to Soviet poetry. While for years he was considered the Soviet poet par excellence, he also changed the perceptions of poetry in wider 20th century culture. His political activism as a propagandistic agitator was rarely understood and often looked upon unfavourably by contemporaries, even close friends like Boris Pasternak. Near the end of the 1920s, Mayakovsky became increasingly disillusioned with the course the Soviet Union was taking under Joseph Stalin: his satirical plays The Bedbug (Клоп, 1929) and The Bathhouse (Баня, 1930), which deal with the Soviet philistinism and bureaucracy, illustrate this development.
On the evening of April 14, 1930, Mayakovsky shot himself.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 7, 2020
Majakovski’s stichtend verzenboekje voor kinderen uit 1925, heruitgegeven in 2017 en geïllustreerd door Aleksej Laptev. Vader spreekt tot zoon (jawel, hier zijn geen meisjes te bespeuren) over wat goed is en wat slecht, met een licht ironische ondertoon.
July 18, 2018
I still remember going through this book in my childhood. What I remember is the eye catching drawings. I'm so happy to read it again after around 35 years.
August 4, 2019
Lo bueno: las ilustraciones de Fernando Gómez son increíbles, contribuyen al mensaje lírico del libro (con la salvedad que indico más abajo.)
Los poemas de Mayakovski en este libro son 8 en total. Escritos especialmente para niños y reflejando el espíritu humano y esperazandor de las primeras décadas de la Unión Soviética, mandan un mensaje de solidaridad, inclusión y amor fraternal (sin dejar de ser para niños).
La edición de Hiperión en su colección Ajonjolí es impecable. Salvo algunos detalles menores (las cajas de texto y algunas ilustraciones prácticamente desbordan la página), se ve que hubo estándares altos en este volumen.
Lo malo: Las ilustraciones de Fernando Gómez despojadas de color son caricaturas y se ven planas (comparen la de portada y la que aparece en la p. 18.) Hubiera agradecido, de menos, que las ilustraciones del interior tuvieran una escala de grises.
A ratos me parece que más que poesía para niños este libro es para los papás: no demerito el trabajo de Carmen Marín; sin embargo, no me queda claro que su objetivo auténtico haya sido poner al alcance de los niños hispanohablantes estos poemas. Me queda la sensación de que el espíritu de la estudiante de filología eslava se impuso sobre cualquier otro criterio.
El precio por 8 poemas ilustrados es excesivo, esto limita seriamente cualquier valoración de este libro.
Finalmente, la edición no es bilingüe (pero tampoco la tapa ofrece que así sea). Por eso este aspecto no influyó en mi valoración: hay otros libros en Hiperión que no son bilingües y no por ello dejan de ser excelentes (por ejemplo, Cancionero andalusí de Ibn Quzmān, Poemas sufíes de Rūmī, y Dīwān de las poetisas de al-Andalus de Teresa Garulo.)
Los poemas de Mayakovski en este libro son 8 en total. Escritos especialmente para niños y reflejando el espíritu humano y esperazandor de las primeras décadas de la Unión Soviética, mandan un mensaje de solidaridad, inclusión y amor fraternal (sin dejar de ser para niños).
La edición de Hiperión en su colección Ajonjolí es impecable. Salvo algunos detalles menores (las cajas de texto y algunas ilustraciones prácticamente desbordan la página), se ve que hubo estándares altos en este volumen.
Lo malo: Las ilustraciones de Fernando Gómez despojadas de color son caricaturas y se ven planas (comparen la de portada y la que aparece en la p. 18.) Hubiera agradecido, de menos, que las ilustraciones del interior tuvieran una escala de grises.
A ratos me parece que más que poesía para niños este libro es para los papás: no demerito el trabajo de Carmen Marín; sin embargo, no me queda claro que su objetivo auténtico haya sido poner al alcance de los niños hispanohablantes estos poemas. Me queda la sensación de que el espíritu de la estudiante de filología eslava se impuso sobre cualquier otro criterio.
El precio por 8 poemas ilustrados es excesivo, esto limita seriamente cualquier valoración de este libro.
Finalmente, la edición no es bilingüe (pero tampoco la tapa ofrece que así sea). Por eso este aspecto no influyó en mi valoración: hay otros libros en Hiperión que no son bilingües y no por ello dejan de ser excelentes (por ejemplo, Cancionero andalusí de Ibn Quzmān, Poemas sufíes de Rūmī, y Dīwān de las poetisas de al-Andalus de Teresa Garulo.)
May 3, 2016
শিশুদের জন্য খুবই ভাল একটা বই। পরিষ্কার পরিচ্ছন্নতা ভিত্তিতে লিখা।
November 30, 2018
"What is good and what is bad" - one of the most famous Russian children's books. It gives examples, how good (being brave) and nasty kids (humiliating younger kids) behave.
July 13, 2012
Es un libro bonito. La edición está ilustrada pero tiene fallos: ni es bilingüe ni está bien la traducción. Es importante que sea bilingüe porque vamos, ya sé que es para niños pero es Hiperión y no es barato. Y si el papel es malo, pues al menos debería ser bilingüe. La traducción no me gustó, porque al parecer el traductor tiene la idea de que los niños son idiotas y no se dan cuenta de las pésimas rimas que hace. Si no puedes traducir la sonoridad de un poema, sobretodo del ruso que suena diferente, pues entonces habría que traducir lo más apegado a la idea o al sentimiento que quiere transmitir el poeta. Eso no me gustó de este libro y no lo recomiendo. Pero vamos, es Maïakovski, de cualquier forma es bueno y se salva de la mala traducción. Sus poemas, a pesar de ser para niños, apelan al amor y respeto al otro. Todos los niños deberían leer este libro. Además es lírico, es bonito. Y como era el señor gran poeta, también es social y apela a que educar a los niños puede transformar el futuro y lograr así un futuro lleno de respeto. Yo creo eso y por eso escribo también para los niños. Así que por ese lado, me gustó muchísimo el libro. Pero al tener eso de la traducción, no le doy más puntos (por la edición, no por el poeta que como saben es de mis favoritos en todo el mundo mundial)
April 19, 2015
Not reading this edition, exactly, but close enough.
No women in this books except for the Nanny and her gossiping lazy counterpart. The rhymes aren't very good either. I'm guessing this is for very young kids.
1. What is "good," and what is "bad?" asks the son. The father lists several "good" and "bad" behaviors, that can be summed up as: be clean, tidy, studious, and brave. Also, rain sucks.
2. May Song -- not much of a song. But there is a communist parade on, so yay.
3. Every page, either an elephant or a lioness -- the zoo.
4. The Cloud's Tricks -- the sun ate all of the clouds.
5. Out for a walk -- life lessons and observations while walking around. God is only a picture on the wall, so don't dumb and don't pray. Join the Party instead. Don't be like the fat bourgeoisie, who doesn't work, be like the worker who makes everything in the world. Respect the farmers who made your bread, but laugh at the powdered lady. And yet, the kid has a nanny. She must be respected too, but where is his mother?
6. We'll take up new rifles -- and learn how to kill the enemy with them, come the next war.
7. Fire-horse -- all the various professions come together to build a toy horse for this one boy.
8. We are waiting for you, comrade bird, so why aren't you flying over? -- the moral of the story is apparently don't forget your other commitments. Also, stop stalking the birds. Of course they won't come if you sit in the trees.
9. My book is about the seas and a lighthouse -- be like the lighthouse at nigh, and light other people's way. Your uncle Mayakovsky commands it.
10. Whom to be? -- you can be a carpenter, or an engineer, a doctor, a factory worker, ticket seller, a driver, a pilot, or a sailor. But only if you're a dude. This doesn't address what women can be when they grow up.
No women in this books except for the Nanny and her gossiping lazy counterpart. The rhymes aren't very good either. I'm guessing this is for very young kids.
1. What is "good," and what is "bad?" asks the son. The father lists several "good" and "bad" behaviors, that can be summed up as: be clean, tidy, studious, and brave. Also, rain sucks.
2. May Song -- not much of a song. But there is a communist parade on, so yay.
3. Every page, either an elephant or a lioness -- the zoo.
4. The Cloud's Tricks -- the sun ate all of the clouds.
5. Out for a walk -- life lessons and observations while walking around. God is only a picture on the wall, so don't dumb and don't pray. Join the Party instead. Don't be like the fat bourgeoisie, who doesn't work, be like the worker who makes everything in the world. Respect the farmers who made your bread, but laugh at the powdered lady. And yet, the kid has a nanny. She must be respected too, but where is his mother?
6. We'll take up new rifles -- and learn how to kill the enemy with them, come the next war.
7. Fire-horse -- all the various professions come together to build a toy horse for this one boy.
8. We are waiting for you, comrade bird, so why aren't you flying over? -- the moral of the story is apparently don't forget your other commitments. Also, stop stalking the birds. Of course they won't come if you sit in the trees.
9. My book is about the seas and a lighthouse -- be like the lighthouse at nigh, and light other people's way. Your uncle Mayakovsky commands it.
10. Whom to be? -- you can be a carpenter, or an engineer, a doctor, a factory worker, ticket seller, a driver, a pilot, or a sailor. But only if you're a dude. This doesn't address what women can be when they grow up.
January 8, 2020
Some of it is a little dated... But I like it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews