|
Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava (Russian: Була́т Ша́лвович Окуджа́ва, Georgian: ბულატ ოკუჯავა) (May 9, 1924 - June 12, 1997) was one of the founders of the Russian genre called “author’s song” (авторская песня, avtorskaya pesnya). He was born in Moscow and died in Paris. He was the creator of about 200 songs, set to his own poetry. His songs are a mixture of Russian poetic and folksong tradition and the French chansonnier style represented by such contemporaries of Okudzhava as Georges Brassens. Though his songs were never overtly political (in contrast to those of some of his fellow “bards”), the freshness and independence of Okudzhava’s artistic voice presented a subtle challenge to Soviet cultural authorities, who were thus hesitant for many years to give official sanction to Okudzhava as a singer-songwriter. |
