Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (d. 1945)

Osip Maksimovich Brik (16 January 1888 – 22 February 1945), a prominent Russian avant-garde writer and literary critic, played a pivotal role in the early 20th-century Russian cultural landscape. He is widely recognized as one of the most important members of the Russian Formalist school, an influential movement that revolutionized literary theory by focusing on the intrinsic features of literary language rather than external factors like the author's biography or social context. Brik also strongly identified with the Russian Futurists, a radical artistic and literary movement known for its rejection of traditional forms and embrace of technology, speed, and modern urban life.

Early Life and Intellectual Awakening

Born and raised in Moscow, Osip Brik hailed from a wealthy Jewish jeweler's family. His early academic pursuits at university led him to study law. Interestingly, his friend, the renowned linguist Roman Jakobson, recounted a fascinating detail about Brik's unconventional interests: "For his doctoral thesis he wanted to write about the sociology and juridical status of prostitutes and would frequent the boulevards. All the prostitutes there knew him, and he always defended them, for free, in all their affairs, in their confrontations with the police and so on." This anecdote highlights Brik's early social awareness and willingness to challenge societal norms. However, his passion soon shifted dramatically towards poetry and poetics. He dedicated himself entirely to this new interest, becoming one of the seminal figures in the development of Formalist thought. Brik was instrumental in founding OPOJAZ (Society for the Study of Poetic Language), a key organization for Russian Formalists, and contributed one of the school's earliest and most significant studies of sound in poetry, titled Zvukovye povtory ("Sound repetitions," published in 1917). This work systematically analyzed the phonetic elements and sonic devices within poetic texts, demonstrating how these structural features contribute to a poem's meaning and aesthetic effect.

A Visionary Critic and Multimedia Enthusiast

Brik was characterized by a strongly anti-author stance, a core tenet of Formalism that prioritized the text over the creator. He famously argued that if the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin had not written his seminal novel-in-verse Eugene Onegin, someone else eventually would have, emphasizing the impersonal nature of literary creation. He succinctly encapsulated this belief by stating, "there are no poets or literary figures, there is poetry and literature," thereby shifting the focus from individual genius to the autonomous existence of literary works. Beyond his profound contributions to literary theory, Brik possessed a broad interest in other burgeoning art forms, particularly photography and film, which were central to the avant-garde's exploration of new media. In 1918, he became a member of IZO Narkompros (Visual Arts Section of the People's Committee for Education), an important state body overseeing artistic development in early Soviet Russia. Within this role, Brik fostered close ties with the influential Constructivist artist and photographer Alexander Rodchenko, playing a significant part in promoting and disseminating Rodchenko's groundbreaking photographic work. His involvement in the cinematic world was equally notable; he wrote several screenplays, including a collaboration with Ivan Novokshonov for the highly acclaimed 1928 film Potomok Cingis-khana (The Descendant of Genghis Khan), directed by the celebrated Soviet filmmaker Vsevolod Pudovkin.

The Complexities of Personal Life and Artistic Collaboration

Brik's personal life was as unconventional as his intellectual pursuits. He met his future wife, Lilya Kagan, at a remarkably young age—he was 17 and she 14. They married on 26 March 1912. Lili's sister, Elsa Triolet, would later become a notable French writer married to the renowned Surrealist poet Louis Aragon. Lili Brik, described as the handsome and highly cultivated daughter of a prosperous Jewish jurist, harbored an ambition common among many women of the Russian intelligentsia: to achieve lasting recognition by becoming the muse of a famous poet. Osip and Lili formed a unique marital pact, agreeing to love each other "in the Chernyshevsky manner." This was a direct reference to Nikolay Chernyshevsky, one of 19th-century Russia's most famous radical thinkers, who was an early and controversial advocate for "open marriages." Living at the nexus of artistic bohemia in Moscow, the Briks' salon became a vibrant hub for the intelligentsia and the avant-garde. True to his promise, Osip Brik calmly accepted his wife's romantic entanglements from the outset. A famous instance occurred when Lili confessed to having a sexual encounter with the then-young and immensely talented poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. Brik's reaction was famously unperturbed: "How could you refuse anything to that man?" In 1918, as Mayakovsky and the Briks became inseparable, Mayakovsky simply moved into their apartment, making his home with them for the rest of his life across a succession of flats they occupied. While Mayakovsky's intense sexual relationship with Lili lasted from 1917 to 1923, his profound friendship and creative collaboration with both Osip and Lili endured. Osip Brik remained Mayakovsky's most trusted adviser and fervent proselytizer throughout his life. Together, they co-founded the most dynamic avant-garde journal of the early Soviet era, Left Front of Art, or LEF. This publication, also the official platform for the artistic group of the same name, was instrumental in promoting Russian Constructivist art and other avant-garde movements, advocating for art that served a social purpose in the new Soviet state. The magazine was later renamed Novyi LEF ("New LEF").

What was LEF (Left Front of Art)?
LEF was a highly influential Soviet avant-garde journal and artistic group founded in 1923 by Osip Brik and Vladimir Mayakovsky. It served as a vital platform for Russian Constructivism and other experimental art forms, advocating for "art for life" and socially engaged art that broke from traditional aesthetics. LEF's aim was to integrate art into everyday life and the new revolutionary society.

Political Engagements and Controversial Ties

Beyond his significant contributions to literary modernism, Brik held strong left-wing political convictions, aligning himself with the ideals of the Russian Revolution. In December 1918, he collaborated with Mayakovsky in discussions with the Vyborg District party school of the Russian Communist Party (RKP(b)) to establish Komfut, a Futurist organization directly affiliated with the Communist Party. Although formally founded in January 1919, Komfut was swiftly dissolved following the intervention of Anatoly Lunacharsky, the People's Commissar of Enlightenment, who held considerable influence over cultural policy. A more controversial aspect of Brik's life was his decision to join the Cheka on 8 June 1920. The Cheka (All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage) was the brutal early Soviet secret police, known for its widespread repression and terror. Roman Jakobson’s account from this period is particularly chilling. Jakobson learned of Brik’s involvement from another friend, Bogatyrev, who had visited him in Prague in December 1921: "Pasternak, who often visited the Briks, had said to him: 'Still, it's become rather terrifying. You come in, and Lili says: 'Wait a while, we'll have dinner as soon as Osja comes back from the Cheka.'" Later, meeting the Briks in Berlin at the end of 1922, Jakobson recounted Osip Brik’s disturbing candor: "Now there's an institution where a man loses his sentimentality," Brik stated, proceeding to relate "several rather bloody episodes." Jakobson concluded his reflection on this period by stating, "This was the first time he made a rather repulsive impression on me. Working in the Cheka had ruined him." This dark episode remains a complex and unsettling part of Brik's biography.

Decline, Suppression, and Enduring Legacy

With Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power, the Soviet cultural landscape underwent a dramatic and repressive transformation. The Communist regime aggressively promoted exclusively Socialist Realism methods, a doctrine mandating art that glorified the Soviet state and its proletariat, while initiating a sweeping campaign to eradicate all cultural expressions deemed dangerous or ideologically unsound by the Party. Most avant-garde artists and thinkers, including Osip Brik, suffered severe persecution and marginalization under this new directive. Throughout the 1930s, Brik struggled to earn a living, primarily writing articles about Vladimir Mayakovsky and conducting book reviews, a stark contrast to his earlier, groundbreaking theoretical work. He passed away in 1945 from a heart attack while climbing the stairs to his Moscow apartment, a quiet end for a man who had once been at the forefront of a revolutionary cultural movement. The official suppression of his works was so profound that they were not republished in Russia until the mid-1990s, well after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Edward J. Brown, a prominent scholar of Russian literature, provided a concise yet insightful summation of Brik's career and impact: "He wrote little, but his articles on poetic form... are brilliant formalist analyses of poetic language... and he was probably the most articulate exponent in Lef of the theories of 'social demand' and 'literature of fact.'" Brown further noted, "A man of surpassing intelligence, he was apparently not strong either in performance or in principle." This assessment acknowledges Brik's profound intellectual brilliance and his crucial role in developing key avant-garde theories (such as the idea that art should respond to 'social demand' and that 'literature of fact' – documentary and journalistic forms – was superior to fiction), even while hinting at a perceived inconsistency in his practical application or ethical stance, particularly in light of his Cheka involvement.

Frequently Asked Questions About Osip Brik