Vladimir Mayakovsky, one of Russia's most gifted writers, was the leading poet of the Russian Revolution and the early Soviet Period. Mayakovsky was born on July 19, 1893 in Bagdadi, Georgia, USSR. In 1915, Mayakovsky completed two major poems, A Cloud in Trousers (1915) and The Backbone Flute (1916). When the Russian Revolution broke out, he was wholeheartedly for the Bolsheviks. His poems Ode to Revolution (1918) and Left March (1919) became very popular. He poured out propaganda while lecturing and reciting all over Russia.—G. Forman