A figure of polyglot origin is held within the framework of the Year of Literature and 130-th Anniversary of Velimir Khlebnikov, a great Russian poet.  

It aims to show global significance of Khlebnikov’s work by way of the example of some particular foreign editions (mostly rare ones) collected from many regions of the world and donated to the Khlebnikov museum by guests from abroad and brought by the museum workers from Khlebnikov and other conferences from France, Holland, Brazil and Russian towns alike.

Many of the books signed “To the Khlebnikov museum that carefully preserves footprints of the Poet”. Amsterdam. 31.8.2002. Barbara Lenkwist”. Barbara is a Swedish researcher of Khlebnikov’s creative activity.  

“To Sasha Mamaev – friendly- for good memories of my first visit to the wonderful house-museum in Astrakhan” Henrik Baran. 06.07.02. 

Henrik is an American professor, the author of several books on the Poet. 

«To the Velimir Khlebnikov museum with the certain expectation of its becoming a center of the world Eurasianism. Your friend Evelina Shatz. Moscow-Milano-Astrakhan. 2000»

Evelina is an interpreter and curator of the exhibition “Italian painter to Khlebnikov”.

Of course, it was not just an act of donation or usual book exchange. Foreign (translated) library on Khlebnikov was evolving for many years through symposiums of scientists, conferences and Khlebnikov events where the research assistants of the Khlebnikov museum met and afterwards made friends with their foreign colleagues.  

This library indicates not only growing interest in Khlebnikov’s work in the world but a scientific rating of Khlebnikov’s museum alike. Nobody would know the museum and no one would donate books to it if it didn’t improve his scientific achievements and published articles both in Russia and abroad and if it hadn’t taken part in Khlebnikov events in Amsterdam and Lion and in the conference in San-Paolo.   

Foreign “Khlebnikov library” of the museum has been continuously increasing and now it comprises more than eighty books. A figure of polyglot origin demonstrates only one third of them.