Vladimir Fedorovich Markov, a UCLA professor emeritus of Slavic languages and literatures, died Jan. 1 at his home in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 91.
A preeminent scholar who pioneered the study of Russian avant-garde literature, Markov was responsible for such classics of the field as "The Longer Poems of Velimir Khlebnikov" (1962), "Russian Futurism: A History" (1968), "Russian Imagism, 1919–1924" (1980) and "A Commentary on the Poems of K.D. Bal'mont" (2 vols., 1998–1992).
He also published numerous anthologies of Russian verse and prose, both in Russian and in English translation, and together with Harvard University professor John Malmstad wrote the first comprehensive monograph on the poet Mikhail Kuzmin, a prominent figure in Russia's "Silver Age" of poetry in the early 20th century.
"He was one of the best-known scholars in our field," said Ronald Vroon, chair of UCLA's Department of Slavic Language and Literatures. "Many people were introduced to modernist Russian poetry through his works, especially through an influential 600-page anthology that he co-edited with American poet Merrill Sparks."
Markov is also remembered as a poet in his own right. "His verse occupies a permanent place in the canon of 20th-century Russian literature," Vroon said.
For more details about his colorful life, see this UCLA Newsroom obituary.
