Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife…

Title

Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife…

Description

Poet: Smirnovski, S. “The Fighting Pencil” group, 1974

1. There once lived an elderly couple
Who peacefully ate their porridge with milk.
When the husband felt lousy sometimes at home,
Hitting his spouse was his way to relax.
2. With a complaint to the social worker
a poor woman went next day.
To receive the boring answer, "So far, you are O.K.
Did he rob you? Did he kill you? No?
Sorry. Busy. Try next day.”

3. After that he lived with Brandy.
Only Brandy made him violent.
Once he beat her up so badly,
She went straight to the police.

4. And the man in the Department
Simply said, "He'd go to jail,
If there had been witnesses to hear,
Just the way you said you wailed."

5. We've been telling you this story
To ensure men like him
Don't go around unpunished
Just because their actions aren't seen.

Creator

Semenov, B.

Date

1974

Source

Rutgers

Relation

Rights

Source:
Holzer, M., Illiash, I., Gabrielian, V., & Kuznestsova, L. (2010). Red Tape from Red Square:Bureaucratic Commentary in Soviet Graphic Satirical Art. Poughkeepsie, NY: NetPublications

Publisher

Rutgers

Contributor

Rutgers

Format

Medium: Poster

Language

Russian

Type

Artwork

Identifier

Domestic Violence, Abuse, Art, Commentary, Fighting Pencil

Coverage

Russia

Files

wife.jpg

Reference

Semenov, B., Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife…, Rutgers, 1974

Cite As

Semenov, B., “Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife…,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed March 29, 2024, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/439.