Vadim Gabrielevich Shershenevich (; 25 January 1893 – 18 May 1942) was a Russian poet. He was highly prolific, working in more than one genre, moving from Symbolism to Futurism after meeting Marinetti in Moscow. Later he pioneered the post-revolutionary avant-garde Imaginist movement, but abandoned it in favour of the theatre. Biography and Career Earlier years Shershenevich was born in Kazan, Russia on 25 January 1893. He was the son of professor of Law Gabriel Feliksovich Shershenevich, a Polish national and a deputy of the first State Duma from the Constitutional Democratic party and the author of its platform. Shershenevich's mother, Yevgeniya L'vovna Mandel'shtam (L'vova), was an opera singer. At age nine he entered secondary school a year early. After moving with his parents to Moscow in 1907 he studied in the private secondary school of L.I. Polivanov—earlier graduates of the school included Valery Bryusov, Andrey Bely and Sergey Solovyov. After secondary school he began studies in the philological department at Munich University. His studies continued at Moscow University - first in the Department of Law, then in mathematics, in which he took his degree. Shershenevich began writing poetry while still in secondary school and published his first book at age eighteen. This work was strongly influenced by works of Konstantin Bal'mont. His second book, Carmina reflected his enthusiasm for Alexander Blok. It was praised by Nikolai Gumilev: "Vadim Shershenevich's book makes an excellent impression. The well-polished verse (the rare roughnesses hardly shows itself), the unassuming, but adjusted style, the interesting constructions - all make one glad at [reading] its verses". In the same year Shershenevich turned from Symbolism to Futurism. He founded the "Mezzanine of Poetry", a group inspired by the Egofuturists, a group formed by Graal Arel'sky, L. Zak, Ryurik Ivnev, Igor Severyanin, and others. Shershenevich edited almanacs produced by the Peterburgskiy Glashatay publishing house and helped prepare almanacs from the Moscow publishing house Mezzanine of Poetry, which he practically headed. Before the end of 1913 he published two additional books of poems. He became the theorist and the propagandist of futurism in Russia: He met F.T. Marinetti in Moscow in 1914 and translated his books and published collections of his own articles. His Declaration About Futurist Theatre (1914) attacked asserted that plays and theater direction of the day suppressed the actor: "Action should dominate the theater, not the word." By age 21, Shershenevich began to develop the