Imaginism was a group of Russian poets active from 1918 to 1925 during the Silver Age. These poets believed the goal of creative writing was to form vivid images. They used metaphors, often linking parts of two different images to show comparisons. Their writing style included bold and unconventional ideas.

History

Imaginism was started in 1918 in Moscow by a group of poets, including Anatoly Marienhof, Vadim Shershenevich, and Sergei Yesenin. They wanted to separate themselves from the Futurists. The name may have been inspired by Imagism.

Stylistically, they were influenced by Ego-Futurism. Imaginists wrote poetry using surprising and unusual images. Many of their poems did not include verbs.

Other members of the group included poets Rurik Ivnev, Alexander Kusikov, Ivan Gruzinov, Matvey Royzman, and the well-known Russian dramatist Nikolay Erdman. In January 1919, they published a manifesto, which was mostly written by Shershenevich.

Most Imaginists were freethinkers and atheists. The main centers of Imaginism were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Smaller centers also existed in Kazan, Saransk, and Ukraine. The group started four poetry publishing houses, one of which was named "Imaginism." They also published a poetry magazine called Gostinitsa dlya puteshestvuyuschih v prekrasnom ("Guesthouse for Travellers in the Beautiful").

The group ended in 1925 and was officially dissolved in 1927. However, its influence remains strong in Russia. Poems by Yesenin and Shershenevich, memoirs by Marienhof, and plays by Erdman are still available and widely read.

After the group ended, the "young imaginists" in the early 1930s and the "meloimaginists" in the 1990s claimed to follow the same artistic style.