Page 22 - Making Books

25.
Daniil Karms
Уж Я бегал, бегал, бегал...
Whew, I went, went, went...
Kineshma: Goppe, 1999
300 x 214 mm. 12 pages
Edition: 25, copy № 4/25

Daniil Kharms (1905-1942) saw none of
his works as a poet in print. To escape
prosecution and poverty he started working
as a writer of children’s verses and -
stories. Nevertheless he was arrested
in 1941 and died in prison in 1942. After
perestroika started in 1985 he became a
cult figure in Leningrad / St. Petersburg
and was a source of inspiration to many
artists. For Kharms poem ’Whew, I ran,
ran, ran…’ Goppe used silkscreen images
to tell the story of how the author ran,
got exhausted and sat on the nightstand
thinking of flying. In a loose narrative style
Goppe created a set of drawings that follow
the story. To enhance the image colour was
selectively added, as for example sky-blue
to the verses about flying.

22