Andrei Andreyevich Voznesensky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Voznesensky in 2008 | ||||
| Native name | Андрей Андреевич Вознесенский | |||
| Born | (1933-05-12)12 May 1933 | |||
| Died | 1 June 2010(2010-06-01) (aged 77) | |||
| Resting place | Novodevichy Cemetery,Moscow | |||
| Occupation | Poet and writer | |||
| Nationality |  Soviet Union Russia | |||
| Period | 1958–2010 | |||
| Literary movement | Sixtiers | |||
| Notable works | The Triangular Pear,Antiworlds,Stained-glass Master,Violoncello Oakleaf,Videoms and Fortune Telling by the Book | |||
| Notable awards |
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| Spouse | ||||
Andrei Andreyevich Voznesensky (Russian:Андрей Андреевич Вознесенский, 12 May 1933 – 1 June 2010) was a Soviet and Russian poet and writer who had been referred to byRobert Lowell as "one of the greatest living poets in any language." He was one of the "Children of the '60s," a new wave of iconic Russian intellectuals led by theKhrushchev Thaw.[1]
Voznesensky was considered "one of the most daring writers of theSoviet era" but his style often led to regular criticism from his contemporaries and he was once threatened withexpulsion byNikita Khrushchev.[2] He performed poetry readings in front of sold-out stadiums around the world,[2] and was much admired for his skilled delivery.[3] Some of his poetry was translated into English byW. H. Auden. Voznesensky's long-serving mentor and muse wasBoris Pasternak,[3] theNobel Laureate and the author ofDoctor Zhivago.
Before his death, he was both critically and popularly proclaimed "a living classic",[4] and "an icon of Soviet intellectuals".[5]
Voznesensky was born on 12 May 1933, inMoscow. His father,Andrei Nikolaevich Voznesensky [ru] (1903-1974) was a professor of engineering, while his mother influenced him early on by reading poetry in his presence.[3] His father worked duringWorld War II.[3]
In his early life, Voznesensky was fascinated with painting and architecture, in 1957 graduating from theMoscow Architectural Institute with a degree in engineering.[3] His enthusiasm for poetry, though, proved to be stronger. While still a teenager, he sent his poems toBoris Pasternak; the friendship between the two had a strong influence on the young poet, and he later described this relationship in"I Am Fourteen" – "From that day on, my life took on a magical meaning and a sense of destiny; his new poetry, telephone conversations, Sunday chats at his house from 2 to 4, walks—years of happiness and childish adoration".[3] Pasternak, who died in 1960, paid him the ultimate tribute – "Your entrance into literature was swift and turbulent. I am glad I've lived to see it".[4]
In later years Voznesensky became reclusive in nature.[4] He suffered a stroke several years before his death.[3] He is believed to have endured another stroke in early 2010.[3]
On 1 June 2010,[3] Voznesensky died at the age of 77.[2] The secretary ofUnion of Writers of Russia, Gennady Ivanov, announced that he had died in his home in a peaceful manner.[2] A cause of death went unprovided.[1] Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev wrote a letter of condolences.[1] A telegram by Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin said Voznesensky had "truly become a person of dominant influence".[4] Other senior Russian officials and cultural entities also offered many tributes.[1]
Voznesensky's wife,Zoya Boguslavskaya, outlived him.[1] He was buried in the MoscowNovodevichy Cemetery on 4 June 2010.[6]
Voznesensky's style was considered different from his contemporaries in the Soviet Union.[2]
His first poems were published in 1958,[4] and these immediately reflected his unique style. His lyrics are characterized by his tendency "to measure" the contemporary person by modern categories and images, by the eccentricity ofmetaphors, by the complex rhythmical system and sound effects.Vladimir Mayakovsky andPablo Neruda have been cited among the poets who influenced him most.[citation needed]
TheGoya-inspired "I Am Goya" was an early Voznesensky effort, and went on to achieve considerable recognition for its impressions of the fear and horror attached to war, as demonstrated by its Russian metaphors and recurring "g" sounds.[3] Another early poem, "Fire in the Architecture Institute", was inspired by a 1957 night fire at the Institute of Architecture in Moscow.[3] Voznesensky later said: "I believe in symbols. I understood that architecture was burned out in me. I became a poet".[3]
Voznesensky was one of several young Russian intellectuals whomNikita Khrushchev invited to a reception hosted by the ruling Communist Party in December 1962.[4] Khrushchev scathingly remarked on Voznesensky at the ceremony: "Just look at this new Pasternak! You want to get a [foreign] passport tomorrow? You want it? And then go away, go to the dogs! Go, go there".[4] In 1963, his fame blossomed and he became "as popular asThe Beatles" after Khrushchev publicly and falsely branded him a pervert.[5]
In the 1960s, during the so-calledThaw, Voznesensky frequently travelled abroad: to France, Germany, Italy, the United States and other countries. The popularity of Voznesensky,Yevgeny Yevtushenko andBella Akhmadulina was marked by their performances in front of the adoring crowds numbering in the thousands at stadiums, in concert halls and universities. In doing so, he served as "a sort of unofficial Kremlin cultural envoy", according toThe New York Times.[3] His poetry reading skills were profound.[3] He competed withLaurence Olivier andPaul Scofield at one show in London.[3] He criticized the1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia.[3] While in the United States, he metAllen Ginsberg,Arthur Miller, andMarilyn Monroe.[1]
Voznesensky's friendship with many contemporary writers, artists and other intellectuals is reflected in his poetry and essays. He is known to wider audiences for the superhitMillion of Scarlet Roses that he penned forAlla Pugacheva in 1984 and for the hugely successfulrock operaJuno and Avos (1979), based on the life and death ofNikolai Rezanov.
His creations have been turned into works of theatre.[2] One collection of his poems, "Antimiry" ("Anti-worlds") served as the basis for a famous performance at theTaganka Theatre in 1965. "Save your Faces" was performed at the same venue.[1] "Juno and Avos" was performed at the Lenin's Komsomol Theater (nowLenkom).[1] Others on foreign territory.[1]
Ukrainian composerTamara Maliukova Sidorenko (1919-2005) set some of his poems to music.[7]
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In 1978 Voznesensky was awarded theUSSR State Prize.[2] He is an honorable member of ten academies, including the Russian academy of learning (1993), theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters, ParisianAcadémie Goncourt and others.[citation needed]
On Tuesday, 23 December 2008, Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev bestowed a state award upon Voznesensky at the Kremlin.[1]
Aminor planet3723 Voznesenskij, discovered by Soviet astronomerNikolai Chernykh in 1976, is named after him.[2][8]
English criticJohn Bayley described his feelings after hearing a Voznesensky recitation of "I Am Goya":
Mr. Voznesensky's recitation of this poem was electrifying, but it may be that the element of performance bulked necessarily larger than the poem's emotional impact. Russian poetry has always inspired recitation and a rapt response from the reciter's audience, but Mr. Voznesensky, and his contemporaryYevgeny Yevtushenko, are perhaps the first Russian poets to exploit this in the actual process of composition—to write poems specifically for performing, as pop songs are written for electronic transmission by singers and band.[3]
2nd class (5 May 2008) – for outstanding achievements in the development of literature and many years of creative activity
3rd class (15 January 2004) – for outstanding contribution to the development of national literature
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1983)
USSR State Prize (1978) – a collection of "stained glass maker" (1976)
Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation [ru] in the field of culture (17 December 2010, Posthumously)Antiworlds and "The Fifth Ace". Ed. by Patricia Blake and Max Hayward. Bilingual edition. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books; Doubleday & Co., 1967.
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