Published on: 2026-07-22
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Marina Krasnova recently became the head of the State Museum of V.V. Mayakovsky. In a quick interview, she talked about what draws her to the poet’s work, which myths she would like to dispel first and foremost, and why it’s important to read Vladimir Mayakovsky’s works aloud.
— You have been working with museums specifically for many years andwith preservation of literary style leave a messI. Why was this path chosen and why Vladimir Mayakovsky?
— My acquaintance with Vladimir Vladimirovich, like many others, began at school when we studied Silver Age poetry. The literature teacher suggested that we visit the State Museum of V.V. Mayakovsky to decide who Mayakovsky was for us: a lyric poet or a poet of the revolution. And at that moment, two important aspects came together for me — the museum field and Mayakovsky. At the museum, I wanted to truly understand his work.
Everything Mayakovsky did was very sincere. He wrote: “Love is life, it is the main thing. From it unfold poems, deeds, and everything else. Love is the heart of everything.” It seems to me that is why he is so popular with young people, because he remained a teenager at heart. In his work, there is “vast love” and “vast hatred.” And who else feels so intensely if not a teenager? And this youthful maximalism, frankness, and sincerity — they captivate.
Then I enrolled in the Russian State University for the Humanities, majoring in “Museology,” and wrote my thesis under Taras Panteleimonovich Polyakov (the author of the V.V. Mayakovsky Museum exhibition. — Editor’s note.), who, after graduation from the institute, invited me to work at the museum as a research associate. This marked a new phase in my relationship with both Mayakovsky and the museum — and it continues to this day.
— What did you feel when you returned to the museum Already as a director? What does it mean for you to be a museum leader of the new generation?
— As a leader, I was still largely formed at the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I. Dahl. I worked there for quite a long time as the head of the department “House of I.S. Ostroukhov in Trubniki” — this is the exhibition space of the Literary Museum, where it was necessary to organize and coordinate exhibitions, and come up with events. That experience, of course, now gives a lot: you understand how to manage, where to find compromises, where, on the contrary, to be more persistent and demanding, how to interact with people and work in a team. This is the result of quite a long work and experience.
Undoubtedly, the poet’s work also suggests certain moves, directions for the development of the museum—as if there is an inner support felt from Mayakovsky himself.
— Do you have a favorite work by Mayakovsky? What is a myth aboutpoet what would you like to destroy first?
— It’s hard to choose just one thing because Mayakovsky is very diverse, and his style and language changed a lot throughout his career. I want to highlight one of the first vivid lyrical poems “Listen!” and, of course, the tragedy “Vladimir Mayakovsky.” An absolutely brilliant work from 1913, in which, in my opinion, he laid the foundations of his entire creative output. It’s the very beginning of the path, but all the main themes are already present there: the role of the poet, inner tragedy and loneliness, the need to be loved and understood. The tragedy is often undeservedly overshadowed, yet Boris Pasternak wrote: “Everything was here… And how simple it all was. The art was called tragedy. And so it should be called. The tragedy was called ‘Vladimir Mayakovsky.'”
One of the persistent myths about Mayakovsky is that he wrote in a stepped form for money. In fact, it was a way to get closer to the reader. In 1923, he first used this form in the poem “About This” to place accents and help those reading independently grasp the embedded rhythm and meanings. The poet strove to be understood. He was told: “When you read, it makes sense to us, but when we read ourselves, it is unclear.” If you want to feel and understand Mayakovsky, you just need to follow his stepped form—and be sure to read aloud.
— What advice would you give to young professionals who dream of working in museums and the cultural sector?
— It seems to me that the most important quality needed is love for one’s own work. It is impossible to work in a museum for a long time without love for it. As Vladimir Mayakovsky said, “Love is life, it is the main thing.”
Where Pushkin dined and Korolev was happy: a guide to the memorial museums of Moscow
Get the latest news quickly on the official Moscow city channels in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.