Today marks the 80th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky (1938-1980). Creation famous poet and singer-songwriter continues to be popular to this day among people of various professions and cultural aspirations. As for the times of the USSR, it can be said without any exaggeration that Vysotsky was the idol of the overwhelming majority of Soviet citizens. But not only that. Vladimir Semyonovich’s colleagues in the theater and cinematography workshop also knew how to appreciate his talent. Here are some statements from the poet's contemporaries.

1. Yuri Trifonov

One of the most popular (one might say canonical) images of Vladimir Vysotsky

Trifonov Yuri Valentinovich (1925-1981) - Russian writer. Novel “Students” (1950; USSR State Prize, 1951); historical novel “Impatience” (1973) about Narodnaya Volya. The problem of moral choice in the atmosphere of the 60-70s, the theme of revolution, Civil War, Stalin's repressions as the basis of modern social anomalies in the story “Exchange” (1969); "Another Life" (1975); "House on the Embankment" (1976); “The Old Man” (1978), documentary-memoir book “Glimmer of the Fire” (1965). In the novel “Time and Place” (1981) there is a theme of creativity, history, comprehended as the fate of the writer.

I think Vysotsky could not have become such a popular person if he had not combined the talents of a great poet and a great artist, singer. But that’s not all, it’s also very important that he took upon himself the courage to express the most vital and unexpressed by anyone: the true thing, what the people really worried about, what they really thought about, what was the subject of everyday conversations ordinary people among themselves.

2. Bulat Okudzhava

Vladimir Vysotsky against the backdrop of Taganka Theater posters (1976)

Okudzhava Bulat Shalvovich (1924-1997) - Soviet and Russian poet, bard, prose writer and screenwriter, composer. One of the most prominent representatives genre of art song in the 1960s-1980s, author of about two hundred original and pop songs, including “ grape seed"(aka "Georgian Song"), "François Villon's Prayer" ("While the Earth is Still Turning"), "Little Orchestra of Hope", "Sentries of Love", "Painters", "Midnight Trolleybus", "Union of Friends" (" Raised the sword against our union"), as well as many songs from films, for example, "Your Honor, Madam Separation" (V. Motyl's film "White Sun of the Desert") and "We need one victory" (A. Smirnov's film "Belorussky Station" ").

He began with the primitive, with unambiguousness, gradually enriching his poetic and civic vision, reaching high literary examples; he constantly learned from life, from literature, which happens to any poet, regardless of the degree of his talent. He began to write for a narrow circle of friends, but came to the widest audience, came to the utmost expression of himself, and to express himself means to achieve the highest pleasure.

Of course, the guitar only sharpens emotions, acting just shows, aggravates the essence, but in general - poetry, guitar, intonation - this is the genre in which he improved day after day.

Over the years, he became more professional... Everything became genuine - suffering, hatred, and love. The verse became dense, metaphorical.

3. Lyudmila Gurchenko

Vladimir Vysotsky in the film “Vertical” (director S. Govorukhin, 1966)

Gurchenko Lyudmila Markovna (1935-2011) - Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, pop singer, director, screenwriter, writer. People's Artist of the USSR (1983). Laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR named after. Vasiliev brothers (1976). Laureate of the State Prize of Russia (1994). Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II, III and IV degrees. Best known for her paintings: “ Carnival night"(1956), "Girl with a Guitar" (1958), "Old Walls" (1973), "Straw Hat" (1974), "Twenty Days Without War" (1976), "Five Evenings" (1978), "Beloved woman mechanic Gavrilova" (1981), "Station for Two" (1982), "Love and Doves" (1984), "My Sailor" (1990), "Old Nags" (2000).

He did not write songs about a stellar, unreal life. He saw much that was imperfect on earth. It all seemed simple - just take it and write about what’s around you - just take it and write it. An... And there is no other Vysotsky like him.

4. Stanislav Govorukhin

Vladimir Vysotsky in the film “The meeting place cannot be changed” (director S. Govorukhin, 1979)

Govorukhin Stanislav Sergeevich (b. 1936) - Soviet and Russian actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, political and public figure. Deputy State Duma Federal Assembly Russian Federation VI convocation, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture. Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1986). People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2006). As a director, Govorukhin is best known for the films “Vertical” (1967), “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” (1972), “Ten Little Indians” (1987), “The Voroshilov Shooter” (1998); television films “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” (1979), “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn” (1981), “In Search of Captain Grant” (1986); documentaries“You Can’t Live Like This” (1990), “The Russia We Lost” (1992), “The Great Criminal Revolution” (1994).

The recording preserved the voice, intonation, and meaning of the song, but how much was added to this by lively facial expressions, expressive eyes, and the veins in the neck swollen from tension. He never performed his songs half-heartedly. At a concert, at home in front of friends, in a tent on a glacier, in a crowded hall or to a single listener - he sang and played, giving his all, to the end...

The climbers considered him one of their own. They believed that he was an experienced climber. And he saw the mountains for the first time two months before he wrote songs about the mountains.

The people who fought were sure that he was their comrade in arms - such a truth, tattered to the point of blood, emerged from his war songs...

In life, the tragic and the funny are close together. Vysotsky has humor even in poems of high tragic intensity.

He had a perfect talent for spotting the funny. Among those close to him, he was an extremely funny person and a witty storyteller.

5. Marina Vladi

Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi (1976)

Vladi Marina (b. 1938) is a French actress and singer of Russian origin. Member of the PCF, vice-president of the USSR-France Society. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival prize for the best female role in Marco Ferreri's film Queen Bee (1963). Nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Winner of the Suzanne Bianchetti Prize as best young actress at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival for her role in Andre Caillatte's Before the Flood. In 2012 she received the Henri-Langlois Award for cinematic career. A chance meeting with Vladimir Vysotsky in 1968 grew into a great feeling, Marina Vladi became his wife. After his death in 1980, she wrote a memoir, “Vladimir, or Interrupted Flight” (1989).

His incredible energy tired everyone, but it also allowed him to short life create about 700 poetic works.

...The use of half-forgotten terms, symbolic images, popular expressions, jargon, the characters who live and act, this lyricism, this depth of content are unique. With the music he created, Vysotsky emphasizes and complements the poetry of the verse...

6. Anatoly Efros

Vladimir Vysotsky as Hamlet in Shakespeare's play of the same name (directed by Yu. Lyubimov)

Efros Anatoly Vasilyevich (Isaevich) (1925-87), Russian director, Honored Artist of Russia (1976). Since 1954 director of the Central Children's Theater, since 1963 chief director of the Moscow Theater. Lenin Komsomol, since 1967 director of the Moscow Drama Theater on M. Bronnaya, since 1984 chief director of the Moscow Drama and Comedy Theater on Taganka. Performances: “Good Hour!” V. S. Rozov (1955), “Don Juan” by Moliere (1973), “Marriage” by N. V. Gogol (1975), “At the Depth” by Maxim Gorky (1984), etc. Made films: “Noisy Day” ( 1960, together with G. Nathanson), " Leap year"(1961), "Two in the Steppe" (1962), "On Thursday and Never Again" (1977), the television film "Fantasy" (1976), etc. Author of books about the theater. He worked in cinema, radio and television.

In the play "Fasten Your Seatbelts" he had only one passage through the stage and hall. This passage was stunning. Fear gripped me. It was some kind of powerful raid. It seemed like everyone was squeezing into their chairs. This lasted three or four minutes, then there was applause. The action stopped for a long time. Everything that came before and everything that came after could not be compared with this passage. Vysotsky sang a song about how soldiers crawl forward, rotating their elbows globe. And there was some special truth in the fact that there was a cloak-tent on his shoulders and from the inside it was being pushed out to the side by the elbows of his hands holding the guitar.

7. Alexander Mitta

Vladimir Vysotsky in the film “The Tale of How Tsar Peter Married the Arab” (director A. Mitta, 1976)

Mitta Alexander Naumovich (b. 1933) - Russian film director, Honored Artist of Russia (1974). Films: “They’re calling, open the door” (1966), “Shine, Shine, My Star” (1970), “The Tale of How Tsar Peter Married the Arab” (1976), “The Crew” (1980), “The Tale of Wanderings” (1983), etc. He taught at the Hamburg Film School (1991-93, Germany). In 2000 he staged the series “Border. Taiga Novel”, for which he was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2001). In 2002 he directed the film “Hot Saturday,” for which he wrote the script.

The songs he sang gradually changed, in little things, in shades of intonation, pauses, syncopations. Then the song stopped changing. Then he stopped singing it. He worked on us, in front of us, polishing new songs. When the polishing was finished, the whole country listened to the song and recorded it on countless tape recorders.

...Vysotsky invented a style of performance with long but hard consonants, a rolling “r”, and open and clear-sounding vowels. He made it a natural part of a deeply personal, original and emotionally rich performance. In life, he spoke completely differently - quietly, softly, with a shy smile, a rich set of sly, mocking intonations.

8. Maya Turovskaya

Vladimir Vysotsky at one of the concerts

Turovskaya Maya Iosifovna (b. 1924) - Soviet and Russian theater and film critic, film historian, screenwriter, cultural critic. Doctor of Art History (1983), member of the Union of Writers of the USSR (1960), member of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR (1966). Winner of the 2007 Nika Prize in the nomination “For contribution to cinematographic sciences and criticism.”

...Vysotsky’s word addressed to us was not born writing hand, but a wheezing larynx, and the sound, its strength, is not secondary symptom, but the essence. Just like his widely sung not vowels, but consonants; and not only a ringing, booming “r-r”, but also a completely dull, dull, but no less aggressive “t-t”:

There's a wolf hunt going on,
The hunt is on...

...He is the rightful heir to gateway folklore, street romance, nameless thieves' lyrics. Here he found the wild genre of the urban ballad, suitable for many things, cultivated it patiently and received the fruit - a unique intonation structure.

...It is probably no coincidence that he managed to break through the system of consonants to vowels, to full consonance:

I'll water the horses,
I'm singing a verse,
I'll stand for just a moment longer
on the edge...

9. Natalia Krymova

Vladimir Vysotsky in the television film “Monologue” - the only concert filmed by Central Television. January 22, 1980

Krymova Natalya Anatolyevna (1930-2003) - Russian theater critic, theater expert, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (1997), Candidate of Art History (1971).

Vysotsky’s word is open, open to people, not encrypted. It lacks intellectual sophistication. But it has natural grace and its own character. The poet willingly and often plays with words; rhymes (performed with melodic rhythms). This game is also dictated most of all by a cheerful freedom of communication - both with the word and with the audience.

...Depending on the audience, mood, taken in at the moment tuning fork sound, some poems varied, changed their coloring, words and semantic nuances. The surviving drafts reflect careful, persistent and very original work on the word - Vysotsky often preferred rough expressiveness oral speech, leaving aside the smoother, more literary “made” version.

10. Petr Todorovsky

Vladimir Vysotsky continues to remain popular in the modern media sphere. This image, for example, is offered to be downloaded as wallpaper for a personal computer desktop.

Todorovsky Pyotr Efimovich (1925-2013) - Soviet and Russian film director, cameraman, screenwriter, actor, composer, Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1967), People's Artist RSFSR. Nominated for an Oscar (1985) in the category "Best Film" foreign language"for the film "War Romance", laureate of the Nika Prize. He directed the films “Never” (1962), “Loyalty” (1965), “The Magician” (1967), “City Romance” (1971), “A Land of One’s Own” (1973), “The Last Sacrifice” (1975), “On the Day holiday" (1978), "The Beloved Woman of Mechanic Gavrilov" (1981), "War-Field Romance" (1983), "Along the Main Street with an Orchestra" (1986), "Intergirl" (1989), "Anchor, more anchor! » (1992), “What a wonderful game” (1995), “Retro threesome” (1998), “Life is full of fun” (2002), “In the constellation of the bull” (2003), “Riorita” (2008).

I am often asked how I feel about Vysotsky’s music. Calmly. If Bulat Okudzhava’s music and poetry are one, then with Volodya it sometimes served only as an accompaniment. He wrote a lot of lyrics, and he didn’t have enough time and the demands to work out the melody. He often “broke” it, adjusting it to the rhyme of the verse, which sometimes turned out unsuccessfully. But... he performed his songs so masterfully that the sound usually faded into the background, the meaning of the lines remained... Maybe this is the author’s individuality, which is called the song of Vladimir Vysotsky.

...I was recently in Brazil... And I was amazed that they know Vysotsky’s songs very well there. World fame. Maybe we still don’t fully understand the scale of man.

Why should I be the soul of society when there is no soul in it at all!

(society)

Vysotsky. Wolf Hunt

We made it in time: To visit God - there are no delays.

(God)

I agree to run in a herd - But not under saddle and without a bridle!

(freedom)

I think that the scientists lied, there is a hole in their theory, a cut: development does not proceed in a spiral, but at random, peddling, crosswise.

***

Vysotsky. Zina and Vanya at the circus

The dead are spared, given a funeral service and pampered in heaven, I won’t say about the living, but we take care of the dead.

(deceased)

Clairvoyants - as well as eyewitnesses - have been burned at the stake by people in all centuries.

(clairvoyant)

The only things better than mountains are mountains that you have never been to before.

(mountains)

We must, we must pour salt into the wounds in order to remember better, even if they hurt.

(pain)

Vysotsky. He didn't return from the battle

I have something to sing when I appear before the Almighty.

The morning is wiser than the evening, but there is something in the evening too.

There is no sense in thoughts and sciences when there is a refutation of them everywhere.

(thought, science)

We cannot even fall freely, because we are not falling in emptiness.

(freedom)

If there was vodka for one person, how wonderful it would be! But always smoking is for two, but always drinking is for three. What about one? For one - a cradle and a grave.

***

Vysotsky. Everything is wrong

If they turn away, it means they didn’t love you enough.

(Love)

Here is my last note: “I worked hard! Please don't wake me up! Never. I fall asleep completely. People, I loved you! Be lenient!”

With my sixth sense, with my whole being, with all my God-given reason, I am sure that I am normal. But, alas! It is impossible to convince of this, and is it worth it?!

Mountaineering is a great way to survive the winter in the summer.

(mountains)

I have already been buried several times, left several times, served several prison terms, and such terms that I still have to live for another hundred years. One girl from Novosibirsk asked me: “Is it true that you died?” I say: “I don’t know.”

But even bright minds place everything between the lines: they have plans for the long term.

I'm scared, my hops go away at the fateful mark of thirty-seven. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and a chill blew through me, Pushkin died at thirty-seven, and Mayakovsky was shot from the barrel.

The morning is wiser - you would say the same. Morning in the fog, something is wrong, my head is cracking and there is no fun. You smoke incorrectly and on an empty stomach, you also drink bitters with a hangover.

Climb to the peak - the universe is at your feet. You are happy and proud, but you are envious of others who still have to climb. – Vladimir Vysotsky

Free fall cannot be allowed - emptiness and freedom are deceptive.

Sign here and there - without reading the texts, vote for me - without giving up.
We won’t change anything - my house is on the edge, we don’t have time to play at love - choosing the main ones.

V. Vysotsky: In hard times we rush at a gallop to find earthly happiness. We fly in pursuit, the fleeing gaze sweeps past the path. But the shaking sometimes knocks its brave riders out of the saddle. The detachment did not notice the loss of a fighter among the horses and horseshoes.

The penetration of Russians across the planet is pleasant very far away - in the Berlin and Milan toilets there are notes in Russian on the walls.

Continuation beautiful quotes Read Vladimir Vysotsky on the pages:

We are always replaced by others so that we do not interfere with lies.

I don’t like well-fed confidence; it’s better if the brakes fail. It annoys me that the word honor is forgotten and that honor is slandered behind the back.

I think the scientists lied, there is a hole in their theory, a cut: development does not proceed in a spiral, but at random, peddling, crosswise.

Domes in Russia are covered with pure gold so that God will notice more often.

I’ll steal, if stealing is your thing – was it worth it for me to waste so much energy?! Agree to at least heaven in a hut, if someone has occupied the mansion with the palace!

Under power, whether it’s money, or under the crown, fate throws people around like kittens.

How many rumors strike our ears, how many gossips eat away like moths.

When I see broken wings, there is no pity in me, and for good reason: I don’t like violence and powerlessness, I just feel sorry for the crucified Christ.

Every Magi strives to punish, but if not, they would obey, right?

I confess to you, in spirit - this is the whole sports life: for just a moment you are at the top and quickly fall down.

We must, we must pour salt into the wounds in order to remember better, even if they hurt.

We made it in time: To visit God - there are no delays. So why are the angels singing in such evil voices?!

If there is a debate with vodka, answer: No, Democratic guys, just tea!

Clairvoyants - as well as eyewitnesses - have been burned at the stake by people in all centuries.

Without love there is no life, and the air is heavy.

Eh, saints, bow to you, you have thought of sinners, and my parents have decided to conceive me...

When teaching argues with fact, its price is a copper penny.

Whatever the road, the only important thing is where it leads.

Everyone lived on equal footing, modestly: a corridor system, with only one restroom for thirty-eight rooms. Here the tooth didn’t touch the tooth, the quilted jacket didn’t warm me, here I found out for sure why it was a pretty penny.

And although we were not mowed down by executions, we lived without daring to raise our eyes - we, too, are children of the terrible years of Russia, timelessness poured vodka into us.

We learn a lot from books, but truths are passed on orally: there are no prophets in our own fatherland, and in other fatherlands there are not many.

The groom was old enough to be her father, and as it turned out, that was the only thing he was good enough to be.

Like flies, here and there, rumors circulate from house to house, and toothless old women spread them to their minds.

There is nothing left to rot in the Russian kingdom!

Nothing is true, everything revolves around each other.

Only next to the sky can freedom live.

Move, playful thoughts, go, word, sweet little lines, word!

Oh, I wish I could get drunk alone and sit in silence! But it only happens that smoking takes two people, but drinking means three people. Only birth and death.

Words run tight for them - so what! - Never be afraid to be late. There are many of them - words, but still, if you can, say it, when you can’t help but say it.

Indifference is like a door that protects the soul from slander and evil people.

I was fed up to my chin - I even started to get tired of singing - I wish I could lie down on the bottom like a submarine so that they couldn’t take direction finding!

They will never, ever return; those closest to them will remain there. And only those for whom my life, my pain, my thoughts are nonsense will return.

After all, the Earth is our soul, we can’t trample the soul with our boots!

He who is without fear and reproach is always short of money.

Rumors rule in Russia and sing with gossip in thirds. Well, somewhere next to them there is the truth, which they spit on.

There are no tear-stained widows at the mass graves—stronger people come here, and they don’t put crosses on mass graves.

But does that make it any easier?

All we have to do is prick ourselves and fall to the bottom of the well,
And the abyss at the bottom of the well, like in Bermuda forever.

We are always replaced by others
So that we do not interfere with lies.

There are few truly violent ones - So there are no leaders.

Our dead will not leave us in trouble,
Our fallen are like sentries...

Not scary without a weapon - a toothy barracuda,
Big and without weapons - big, it’s a consolation for us, -
And little people are not people without weapons:
All small people without weapons are targets.

But even bright minds
Everything is placed between the lines:
They plan for the long term...

But I was born and I lived and I survived,
House on Pervaya Meshchanskaya at the end.
There behind the wall, behind the wall, behind the partition
A neighbor and a neighbor were playing around with vodka.
Everyone lived on equal footing, modestly like this: the corridor system,
There is only one toilet for thirty-eight rooms.
Here the tooth did not touch the tooth, the quilted jacket did not warm,
Here I found out for sure how much it is, a pretty penny.

But clairvoyants - as well as eyewitnesses -

They sympathize slightly
Dead - but from afar.

Because love is forever love
Even in your distant future.

With power, with money, with the crown -
Fate throws people around like kittens.

Let there be no stars dimmer than theirs, - They will confidently reach their death - Hiding behind the desperate and evil,
Leaving the last row for others - Moderate people in the middle.

At the number 37, the hops immediately leave me.
And now it’s like a cold blast:
Pushkin guessed a duel for himself based on this figure.
And Mayakovsky lay down with his temple on the barrel.

The words are running, they are cramped - so what!
Never be afraid to be late.
There are many of them - words, but still if you can
Say it when you can't help but say it.

Like flies here and there
There are rumors going around houses,
And the toothless old women
They are being blown away.

Snow without dirt, like long life no lies.

Settle for at least heaven in a hut
If someone occupied the tower with the palace.

Father Vitkin and Genka began to dig the metro,
We asked: - why? He responded
Like, the corridors end in a wall,
And the tunnels lead to the light.
Vitka and his sidekick did not listen to dad’s prophecy:
He left our corridor and went into the prison corridor.
Yes, he has always been a debater, if you push him against the wall, he will refuse
He walked down a corridor and ended up with a wall, it seems.

Shooting, excitement, all colors,
All ages are welcome:
And old and young, both one and the other,
And - yellow, white, black.

The vanity of all vanities is still vanity.

So many sit for centuries
On the banks - and they watch
Attentively and vigilantly, like
Others nearby on the rocks
They break spines and heads.

Silence, only seagulls like lightning
We feed them with emptiness from our hands
But our reward for Silence
There will definitely be Sound.

There is no sense in thoughts and sciences,
When everywhere - they are refuted.

The one who abandons the rudder and oars,
Those Difficult brings in -
That's how it goes!

Calm down, calm down the melancholy,
In my chest!
This is just a saying
The fairy tale is ahead.

There are no tear-stained widows at mass graves
Stronger people come here
They don’t put crosses on mass graves...
But does that make it any easier?

The amazing is nearby, but it is prohibited!

The morning is wiser than the evening, but there is something in the evening too.

Morning is wiser!
But in the morning everything is not the same
There is no such fun:
Or you smoke on an empty stomach,
Or you drink with a hangover.

This is not grief -
If your leg hurts.

Eh, you guys, I need a story about you,
It's a pity, I don't write stories.

I think the scientists lied, - There is a puncture in their theory, a cut:
Development does not proceed in a spiral,
And at random, peddling, across the board.

I breathe - and that means I love!
I love - and that means I live!

I don't like any time of year
When I don't sing happy songs.

I agree to run in a herd -
But not under saddle and without a bridle!

Clairvoyants - as well as eyewitnesses
Throughout the ages people have been burned at the stake.

Today marks the 78th birthday of the greatest Soviet poet, musician, actor Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky - a man without whom it is impossible to imagine Russia and unravel the phenomenon of the “mysterious Russian soul”.

It is hardly worth choosing words to try to describe his contribution to the culture of the past era and the life of each of us. It is enough to recall the lines of his immortal poems. Introducing the 40 most famous quotes and excerpts from poems by Vladimir Semenovich. We remember, we love, we mourn.

"God created man,

Like a test mannequin..."

The childhood years of Vladimir Vysotsky. 1946 From the archive of N.M. Vysotskaya

“What strange things...

Here in Russia they are molded!”

Vladimir Vysotsky at the screen tests. Mid 60s

_____

“The domes in Russia are covered with pure gold -

So that the Lord may notice more often...”

_____

“My finish is the horizon, and the ribbon is the edge of the earth

_____

“We managed to visit God

There are no delays.

So why are the angels singing?

With such evil voices?!”

Khimki, Moscow region, House of Culture "Rodina", 1975

_____

“The vanity of all vanities is still vanity...”

1979photo by Igor Palmin

_____

“Calm down, calm down the melancholy,

In my chest!

This is just a saying

A fairy tale is ahead...”

House of Culture "Vostok", Leningrad, 1966, photo by N. Drozdetskaya

_____

“Silence, only seagulls like lightning

We feed them with emptiness from our hands

But our reward for Silence

There will definitely be Sound..."

_____

“Why should I be the soul of society,

When there is no soul in it at all!”

_____

“Everyone returns - except the best friends,

Except for the most beloved and devoted women.

Everyone returns - except those who are most needed..."

_____

“After all, the Earth is our soul,

You can’t trample your soul with boots!”

1972 Photo by A. Gershman

_____

“My finish is the horizon, and the ribbon is the edge of the earth.

I must be the first on the horizon!”

Vladimir Vysotsky on the set of “Kinopanorama”, Moscow, January 22, 1980. Photo by B. Palatnik

_____

“We learn a lot from books,

And truths are conveyed orally:

“There are no prophets in their own country,” -

Yes, and in other fatherlands - not a lot...”

July 1980. To the concert in Lyubertsy

_____

“I breathe, and that means I love!

I love, and that means I live!”

Vladimir Vysotsky on the ship "Georgia"

_____

“The amazing is nearby, but it is prohibited!”

Photo by Viktor Akhlomov. Scene from the play "Antiworlds".

Taganka Theater, Moscow. 1966

_____

"I don't like any time of year,

When I don’t sing happy songs...”

_____

“My cheekbones are aching with annoyance:

It seems to me what year

That where I am, life passes there,

And where I am not, he goes...”

Vladimir Vysotsky in Moscow, House of Cinema, 1976. Photo by D. Chizhkov

_____

“If they turn away, it means they didn’t love you enough”

_____

“With power, with money, with the crown -
Fate throws people around like kittens..."

_____

"Who did not believe in evil prophecies,
I didn’t lie down in the snow for a moment to rest,
The reward for loneliness
Someone should meet"

Photo by Valery Plotnikov

_____

“Now everything that is prophesied is coming true!

The train leaves for heaven - happy journey!

Oh, how we wish, how we all wish not to die,

Namely, to fall asleep...”

_____

“I think that the scientists lied, there is a hole in their theory, a cut: development does not proceed in a spiral, but at random, peddling, across”

Moscow, DK. Ilyich, December 1977. Photo by A. Sternin

_____

“In my soul there is a desolate desert, -

So stand over my empty soul!

There are snippets of songs and cobwebs there, -

And she took everything else with her..."

Vladimir Vysotsky with students before a performance at Queens College in January 1979. Photo by Natasha Sharymova

_____

“Pure truth will someday triumph if it does the same thing as an obvious lie”

Moscow, 1980. Photo by V. Kiselev

_____

“Learn it thoroughly, don’t forget
And repeat like a spell:
"Don't lose faith in the fog,
And don’t lose yourself!’”

Scene from the play “Listen!”, 1966, photo by O. Shiryaeva

_____

“Of course, I will return - all in friends and dreams,
Of course, I’ll sing - not even six months will pass...”

Vladimir Vysotsky in 1979. Photo by V. Murashko

_____

"That's really true
Everything is relative -
Everything, everything, everything..."

Moscow, Ilyich House of Culture, December 1977, photo by A. Sternin

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“The whole world is in the palm of your hand - you are happy and silent
And you’re just a little jealous of those
Others - for whom the peak is still ahead...”

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“Your soul strived upward -
You will be born again with a dream,
But if you lived like a pig -
You will remain a pig..."

Photo by Anatoly Garanin

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"But even bright minds
Everything is placed between the lines:
They plan for the long term..."

Still from the movie "Bad" good man", 1972

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“Well, the trembling in my hands has disappeared,
Now - up!
Well, fear has fallen into the abyss
Forever, forever.
There is no reason to stop -
I'm going sliding...
And there are no such peaks in the world,
What can't be taken..."

_____

“We must, we must pour salt into the wounds in order to remember better, even if they hurt...”

_____

“I don’t like well-fed confidence,
It’s better if the brakes fail..."

_____

"When I sing and play,
Where will I end up? I can’t guess where?
But there is only one thing I know for sure:
I won't want to die..."

Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vladi before a performance at Queens College in January 1979. Photo by Natasha Sharymova

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“The morning is wiser than the evening, but there is something in the evening too...”

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So leave unnecessary disputes,
I've already proven everything to myself,
The only things better than mountains are mountains,
Which I haven't been to yet,
Which I haven't been to yet.

_____

... Do as I do.
This means: don't follow me.
This track is only mine,
Choose your own path.

Vladimir Vysotsky as Ryaboy. Still from the film “Master of the Taiga”

Even today, decades after his death, Vysotsky’s work remains just as understandable and relevant. This is because in his songs Vysotsky touched on topics that are important and close to every person and have no expiration date.

He sang about injustice and about his country, openly and ironically criticized the authorities, confessed his love to women and never stopped dreaming. The editors of 5sfer have collected some statements by Vladimir Vysotsky that characterize him as a person and help to better understand what kind of person he was.

About life

• Snow without dirt is like a long life without lies.
• Good, worthy man worries a lot, is nervous, worries about his loved ones and dies before the bad one.
• I can't sleep. You can’t sleep when there’s so much unhappiness in the world and people snoring.
• We must, we must pour salt into the wounds in order to remember better, even if they hurt.
• Domes in Russia are covered with pure gold - so that God will notice more often.
• Believe me, in some high sense, this ball is very boring. And there are no miracles.

About Love:

• If you didn’t love - That means you didn’t live and didn’t breathe!
• You don’t dare call a woman you didn’t fight for dear.

About the society

• There are few truly violent ones - so there are no leaders.
• Why should I be the soul of society when there is no soul in it at all?

About power

• Yes, not everything that is above is from God....
• They don’t have enough money, but we don’t have enough for vodka.
• We cannot even fall freely, because we are not falling in emptiness.
• Under power, whether it’s money, or under the crown, fate throws people around like kittens.

About wars

• It’s not scary without a weapon - a toothy barracuda, a big one without a weapon is a big one, we are in consolation, but small people are not people without weapons: All small people without weapons are targets.
• There are no tear-stained widows at mass graves - stronger people come here, they don’t put crosses on mass graves. But does that make it any easier?
• Who will believe that the Earth was burned? No, she turned black with grief.

About creativity

• An art song is as different from a pop song as, say, a classical ballet is from a squat.
• I'm not looking for heroes - at least a thousand characters are buried in each of us.