Kohav, Alexander

Four Angels In Profile / Four Angels In Full Face

San Francisco, CA: Beatitude Press, 1976. First Edition. Softcover. Signed by Alexander Kohav, Jack Hirschman, S. Kaner & T. Loretta. "Alexandr [sic] Kohav was the discovery and the translation partner of Jack Hirschman [1933-2021]. He showed up in San Francisco in 1975, I think. He and Jack began working on translations of various Russian Futurist poets, as well as translating Kohav's poems into English and some of Jack's poems into Russian. From the time that he appeared at the Trieste Caffe that year, he was a constant participant in what we were doing with "Beatitude" (Magazine) and otherwise. He and Jack did joint bilingual readings in venues all over town and in Berkeley--and Alexandr [sic] appeared at various Beatitude-sponsored readings, including the 1st Annual San Francisco Poetry Festival. His poems and translations also appeared in the pages of "Beatitude Magazine." Kohav was a bona-fide Futurist poet from Moscow and in the tradition of Khlebnikov, Burlyuk, Kamensky, and even Mayakovsky and Pasternak. He himself was a "Baby Futurist," so to speak, who had immigrated to the U.S. to be liberated from the confines of censorship in the Soviet Union and to find literary freedom in the free media environment of the U.S. He added a true international flavor if not gene pool to the whole Bay Area scene and Kohav helped influence younger poets like myself to pursue the art of translation in whatever additional languages we were proficient in." (The Thomas Rain Crowe Archive, pg. 53). This book, Four Angels in Profile / Four Angels in Full Face is a testament to all the virtues ascribed to Kohav by Crowe and Hirschman, and was published by an untitled collaborative of Beatitude poets including Hirschman & Kohav, and the artists “S. Kaner” & “T. Loretta” (on whom We at TMB could find no information). While absent a colophon, the following notation is present on copyright page: “This book was prepared and / ‘published’ in the zestful spirit / of A. Kruchonych’s co-operative / ‘productions’; it’s a result of / the joint Z E F F U N S [sic] of / two poets / A. Kohav, J. Hirschman / and two artists / S. Kaner, T. Lo- / retta. / - A.K., / Nov. ’76.” Furthermore, the address listed below this notation is the official P.O. Box for Beatitude Magazine, — so it is a Beatitude Magazine publication, for all intents and purposes. Large-format softcover in stapled wrappers: the First-&-likely only Edition of this richly collaborative volume. Remarkably, this copy of Kohav’s Four Angels is further endowed by its having been signed by all four contributors: [1] Jack Hirschman, the way-leading literary leftist; [2] his Futurist protege, Alexander Kohav; [3] the artist behind the cover art, Tom Loretta; and [4] the illustrator to whom the “drawings” within it are credited, Susan Kaner. Signatures (in order listed above) are as follows: [1] Hirschman’s signature, in thin black felt pen ink, reads: “for Tom, / [indiscernible cyrillic] / [indiscernible cyrillic cont.] / Jack”. [2] Kohav’s signature, also in thin, black pen ink, reads: “Tom — [indiscernible cyrillic]! / (Drawing) / Sasha / Kohav / 11.13.76.” [3] Loretta’s signature, in thin, blue pen ink (& written vertically [& to the left] of his name as it appears on item’s title page), reads: “Tom Loretta.” [4] Illustrator signature, in same thin, blue pen ink as that used by Loretta, simply & cordially reads: “Susan.” A capstone Kohav collectible, this perfectly illustrates the collaborative nature of the Second San Francisco Renaissance at its heady & blissful Cosmopolitan height. In strong Very Good condition with only moderate-to-enunciated shelf-wear, bumping, rubbing, creasing, & mild horizontal, as well as vertical creasing to, at &/or near fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge, though all generally low-impact; long vertical crease running through length of front cover near leftmost fine-edge of same [the evidence of thorough reading by Crowe & possible circulation amongst his contemporaries]; some age-toning & artifacts similar occurring throughout in low-impact clusters, & minor-to-moderate exhibits of rusting, bleeding to staples at interior & exterior; otherwise clean. Lastly, we found & have retained a bilingual tipped-in broadside —(measuring 11 x 17” in length; printed on thin, pink paper w/ text only on recto; & folded in half, as issued) — featuring Kohav’s poem, “About You, the Millions” beside a translation by Hirschman. Broadside in fine condition with only moderate age-toning/staining to bottom left-hand corner / bottommost fine-edge of recto near center-middle, otherwise clean. Very Good. [Item #7281]

Price: $100.00