Zaum

Zaum (Russian: _ru. заумь or _ru. заумный язык) is a word used to describe the linguistic experiments in sound symbolism and language creation of Russian Futurist poets such as Velimir Khlebnikov and Aleksei Kruchenykh.

Coined by Kruchenykh in 1913, the word "zaum" is made up of the Russian prefix "beyond, behind" and noun "the mind, "nous" and has been translated as "transreason" or "beyonsense" (Paul Schmidt). According to scholar Gerald Janecek, zaum can be defined as experimental poetic language characterized by indeterminacy in meaning.

As Kruchenykh has it, zaum is a transrational language, "wild, flaming, explosive (wild paradise, fiery languages, blazing coal)," which awakens creative imagination from the manacles of everyday speech. Zaum "can provide a universal poetic language, born organically, and not artificially like Esperanto."

Examples of zaum include Kruchenykh's poem "dyr bul schyl" and his libretto for the Futurist opera "Victory Over the Sun", and Khlebnikov's so-called "Language of the Birds", "Language of the Gods" and "Language of the Stars". The poetic output is perhaps comparable to that of the contemporary Dadaism but the linguistic theory or metaphysics behind zaum was entirely devoid of the gentle self-irony of that movement and in all seriousness intended to recover the sound symbolism of a lost aboriginal tongue. Exhibiting traits of a Slavic national mysticism, Kruchenykh aimed at recovering the primeval Slavic mother-tongue in particular.

In modern times, contemporary avant-garde poet Sergei Biriukov has founded an association of poets called the "Academy of Zaum" in Tambov. Other practitioners of zaum poetry include Serge Segay and Rea Nikonova.

The use of Zaum peaked from 1916 to 1920 during World War IAt this time, Zaumism took root as a movement primarily involved in visual arts, literature, poetry, art manifestoes, art theory, theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti war politic through a rejection of the prevailing standards in art through anti-art cultural works. Zaum activities included public gatherings, demonstrations, and publications. The movement influenced later styles, Avant-garde and Downtown music movements, and groups including Surrealism] , Nouveau Rẻalisme, Pop Art and Fluxus] . [Knowlson, J., “The Continuing Influence of Zaum” (London: Bloomsbury, 1996), p 217]

ee also

*Sound symbolism
*Sun Language Theory

References

External links

*http://thebirchonline.org/fall05/semiotics.html
*http://www.zaumpress.net/ A student run literary magazine of Sonoma State University
* [http://www-scf.usc.edu/~janetkki/ General overview of zaum] (English)
* [http://ncca.smufsa.nu/pr_sonorus.php3?lang=eng&t=0&p=4 Examples of zaum (National Center of Contemprary Art, Kaliningrad)] (English)
* [http://www.thing.net/~grist/l%26d/kruch/lkrucht1.htm Chapter Nine of G. Janecek, "Zaum: The Transrational Poetry of Russian Futurism"] (English) [http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/press/codex.html Janecek's "Zaum", published by San Diego State University Press]
* [http://users.belgacom.net/nachtschimmen/zaumpaper.htm Lecture by Z. Laskewicz: “Zaum: Words Without Meaning or Meaning Without Words? Towards a Musical Understanding of Language”] (English)
* [http://jacketmagazine.com/27/reed.html 'Locating Zaum: Mnatsakanova on Khlebnikov'] — an essay by Brian Reed (English)
* [http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/purin3-8.html Article by A. Purin: “Meaning and Zaum”] (Russian)
* [http://www.tstu.ru/koi/kultur/literary/lit_tamb/az.htm Tambov Academy of Zaum] (Russian; Cyrillic KOI8-R encoding)