Vadim Shershenevich Vadim Gabrielevich Shershenevich Вадим Габриэлевич Шершеневич (1893–1942) - a Russian poet. He was born in Kazan on 25 January, 1893, in the family of professor of law Gabriel Feliksovich Shershenevich, important scientist-jurist, member of the cadet party and author of its program, of deputy of the 1st "State Duma"; mother, Yevgeny L'vovna L'vov, was opera singer. In nine years (instead of usual ten) he entered into the secondary school. After parent's move in 1907 into Moscow he studied in the well-known private secondary school of L.I. Polivanov (earlier graduates - Valery Bryusov, Andrey Bely, S.M. Solovyev). Then he entered into the Munich university, the philological department; it continued studies at Moscow University - first on the juridical, then in the mathematical department, which finished. Verses it began to write even in the secondary school and into eighteen years, with student, printed the first book - "Spring protalinki", noted by the strong influence of poetry Konstantin Balmont. In two years he printed the second - "Carmina" (1913), that reflected enthusiasm by Alexander Blok. On it with the large praise answered Nikolai Gyumilyev: "excellent impression produces Vadim Shershenevich's book. The manufactured verse (rare roughnesses hardly they give itself to feel), the unassuming, but adjusted style, interesting constructions make it necessary to be glad at its verses ". In the same 1913 in Shershenevicha proceeds the turning from the symbolism to the futurism. Together with Graal Arel'sky, l. Zak, Ryurik Ivnev, etc. he creates the group of Egofuturists. Takes active part in the almanacs, produced by the publishing house "Peterburgskiy glashatay", and he is occupied by the preparation of the almanacs of the Moscow of publishing houses "Mezzanine of poetry", which actually heads. Prior to the end of the year he manages to publish the two additional books of poems - "Extravagant flakones" and "Romantic powder". He becomes theorist and the propagandist of futurism - translated F.T. Marinetti's books, publishes the collections of his own articles. Fitness for work and rapidity of creative maturity of Shershenevich are striking: in four-five years he passes way from the symbolism to egofuturizm and - 21-old - he begins to develop the theory of imaginism. Conviction in the fact that "the skill must be contemporary, otherwise it will not touch", the striving to find consonant to epoch form, by new means to transmit the sharply increased in frequency rhythm of life - all this appeared in the following book of Shershenevich's poems - "Automobil postup'"(1916), his most significant in pre-revolutionary period.
In 1915, he is enrolled by volunteering into the motor transport unit and sent, though temporarily, to the front. After revolution he read lectures on the poetry in Proletcult, in the division of Narkompros prepared for the publication the multivolume dictionary of artists. Together with Mayakovsky he wrote texts for the posters. With V. Kamienski and Ryurik Ivnev he participated in the creation of the All-Russian union of poets, and then, from May 1919, more than a year he was its chairman. In 1918 Shershenevich became close with S. Esenin and A. Mariyengof. Was founded the "order of imaginists". The theorist of imaginism became Shershenevich. During January 1919 he published the "declaration", actually written by him, 1920 - his book "2х2=5". Bright speaker, the bright controversialist, he constantly came out on the numerous evening-debates with the participation of group, propagandizing imaginism, reflecting the criticism of literary enemies. Publishes the new poetic books of Shershenevich - "Crematory. The poem of imagist "(1919) and "Horse like a horse "(1920), that can be considered basic in his imaginist period of creativity. During the subsequent years he publishes the book of poems the "Cooperatives of merriment" (1921), play "One continuous absurdity" (1922) and the book about the creation of his comrades on the order - Mariyengof, Ivnev, Kusikov and Esenin "Whom I handshake with" (1921). From 1919 through 1925 he participated in nine collections of the group. In 1926 Shershenevich published his own collection "Thus the sum", which was actually proven to be his last poetic book. In it he went away from the imaginist poetics.
After the beginning of the World War II Shershenevich, sick with tuberculosis, was evacuated together with the Chamber theater to Barnaul, where it passed away on 18 May, 1942.