Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. ShorttitleVladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky ( ) was a Russian and Soviet poet and playwright, among the foremost representatives of early-20th century Russian Futurism. He was born the last of three children in Baghdati, Russian Empire (now in Georgia) where his father worked as a forest ranger. His father was of Ukrainian Cossack descent and his mother was of Ukrainian descent. Although Mayakovsky spoke Georgian at school and with friends, his family spoke primarily Russian at home. At the age of 14 Mayakovsky took part in socialist demonstrations at the town of Kutaisi, where he attended the local grammar school. After the sudden and premature death of his father in 1906, the family Mayakovsky, his mother, and his two sisters moved to Moscow, where he attended School No. 5.