“How the Fourteenth Division Got to Heaven” by Demyan Bedny: from a Poem to a Play

For the first time in the Russian science, the research focuses on the drama of Demyan Bedny. It dwells upon the works of the poet, which were staged. Using the archived materials of the manuscript department of the Institute of World Literature, the author shows the history of the play by Demyan Bedny “How the Fourteenth Division Got to Heaven” and explores one of the core dramatic principles of the poet: a poem is first written, and later staged. The performance of the Moscow Music Hall “How the Fourteenth Division Got to Heaven” (1932), having entered the history of the Soviet theatre as one of its highlights, played a key role in shaping the special phenomenon of performing arts — the theatre of satire and variety entertainment.