Pyotr Pertsov (1868–1947)

In Russia, we wash paintbrushes with vodka, not water like puny Americans.
Wouldn’t be Russian without a strong tache.

With a name like Pyotr Pertsov, it’s not surprising that this guy is Russian. Pertsov was a poet, a publisher, a literary and art critic. A person of the arts. So if you’re not into poetry, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Well, actually, don’t worry too much, I couldn’t find any of his poems. I did look for them, promise. I might have found them if there was a standard way of writing his name! Petr? Pyotr? Piotr? Pete? What is it?!?

Pertsov’s probably rolling in his grave as I write this post.

Pertsov began his literary career by publishing his poems for Nedelya (“Week”) and Novosti (“News”). Then he contributed to magazines linked with political, social, and artistic movements including Russian Symbolism, which were influenced by irrationalism and mysticism — think God and ghouls. Spooky. It was spurred by a movement away from the aristocracy towards urbanisation. A time of uncertainty and the unknown may have encouraged these movements. Steam from those trains look a bit ghostly, right?

In 1902, Pertsov became the founding editor and publisher of journal Novyi Put (“New Way”), which intended to rise above ideological rifts of the past by combining a social quest with mysticism. Pertsov aimed to give fiction and poetry the same billing and attention as philosophical and critical articles of general interest. Pertsov put a lot of his own money into the journal only to be removed from the publication in 1904 when the editorial team split and a journal within a journal formed. In 1905, The Questions of Life replaced New Way. Looks like they had a new way of questioning life.

Following this, Pertsov lectured at Kostroma University. With no pension and a small salary, Pertsov lived a life of poverty. Still sounds about right for most pursuing a career in the arts today.

Random Facts

· Pyotr Pertsov the person of the arts shouldn’t be mistaken with wealthy railway engineer of the same name who held a competition in around 1905 to remodel his mansion. It was home to Leon Trotsky after the 1917 revolution and is now home to the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and probably Donald Trump as well.

· Pertsov was a graduate of Law from Kazan University. The same university that Vladimir Lenin was expelled from.

· As expected, the name Pyotr is the Russian form of Peter. Pete Pertsov has a bit of a ring to it.

Did you play “Clicks to Hitler/Jesus”? Comment your scores.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creeptemporary — Cie. Toula Limnaios

Image
Wut? Humping the floor , contorting your body , roughing up a baby , sweaty bodies . I’ll give you three guesses to identify what I am writing about today. I know, the answer was quite obvious, contemporary dance. Cie. Toula Limnaios is a dance organisation, based in Berlin, named after its founder and choreographer Toula Limnaios. Founded in 1996, what started with flailing arms and bending legs in Brussels is now an organisation sponsored by the Berlin Senate for Culture. Their performances, of which there are over thirty, including Wut (“Rage”), Tempus Fugit (“Time Flies”), and The Thing I Am, are often inspired by philosophy and literature.  “A voodoo-like relationship with a baby doll was temporarily explored, but did not progress past obvious movement choices for the portrayal of manipulation and control.  ‘Tempus Fugit’ disappointed, not due to lack of professionalism but due to lack of conceptual risk.” —  Beatrix Joyce They threw a voodoo b
Read more

List of books by John C. Maxwell

Image
DBAA — Don’t be an “ask hole”. This is a leader, right? Our first Click Random list , so for this I will give some descriptions of the books and the author without going into too much detail about John C. Maxwell or a particular book — who knows, these might be random articles in and of themselves. Okay, so, John C. Maxwell is a pastor, leadership coach, or what some might call a motivational speaker. He looks like your friendly, approachable boss who could blind you with his teeth, but has suspicious ties to the mafia and could leave you sleeping with the fishes in San Benito River . Maxwell has sold over 20 million books and has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List with his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership . Although, this listing is slightly controversial, as marketing company ResultSource fiddled the books to make it look like the book had been purchased by thousands when in reality the company just bought a bulk order. Reminds me of that ep
Read more

Lord Randolph Churchill — Part 2 — A flash in the pan.

Image
They don’t look like much, but this “fourth party” caused a bit of a stir. ( Source ) You still there? Well, if you are, you might not be after this. It’s time for politics — bear in mind that the man voted as “Greatest Briton”, Winston Churchill, was heavily influenced by his father’s politics and beliefs. If you stick around, we’ll get to more scandals with Jack the Ripper. I’m dragging this out a bit, aren’t I? After his graduation in 1870, Randolph first entered the House of Commons in 1874 when he became a Conservative Member of Parliament for Woodstock. His first speech in the House of Commons was said to have grabbed the attention of Benjamin Disraeli, the then Prime Minister. He even wrote to Queen Victoria about Randolph’s “energy and natural flow”. However, contrary to Wikipedia, it is suggested that his maiden speech made no impression on the Commons. Either way, Queen Victoria seemed unconvinced , as she opposed Randolph’s appointment of Chancellor of th
Read more