The Vladimir Vysotsky phenomenon

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Moscow News, 1986

FOLLOWING «MN» PUBLICATIONS

The Vladimir Vysotsky phenomenon

In 1986 «MN» published a series of articles (issues Nos. 30, 31 and 45) featuring Vladimir Vysotsky. These publications aroused an enthusiastic response on the part of our readers.

Below is Muscovite Alexander Vasin's reflections on Vysotsky's art as it is understood today.

VLADIMIR VYSOTSKY is the most interesting phenomenon in the country's 20th-century culture and as such, attracts the interest of an ever growing number of people both inside and outside the Soviet Union. A poet of talent, a writer and performer of songs, an ardent theatrical actor, he was capable of producing a huge emotional impact, which was enhanced by his extraordinary life. The subject of Vysotsky is an involved one and demands a highly responsible approach.

Vysotsky is also considered to be a teacher of truth in art, and we need so much to learn his lessons. He was able to perceive the contradictions of the development of our society and also the most delicate features of a person's soul. We can and must learn from him this clarity of vision. So, let a planet be named after him, and a mountain pass in the western area of the Baikal-Amur Railway. May memorial plaques be installed in Moscow and elsewhere.

Still, all these commemorations shouldn't become a substitute for a responsible and scrupulous analysis of the development of the Vysotsky social and cultural phenomenon. What is causing concern is that the subject of Vysotsky has become very popular among jour­nalists looking for a sensation. Of course, he loses the very attractive «sweetness» of the «forbidden fruit», and at the same time a kind of a protective shield is being formed around his personality. While reading some of the numerous articles, memoirs and interviews about Vysotsky, one of his lines comes constantly to my mind: «It's treacle, a sweet com­position». Then there's his song «My Monument» – a passionate renunciation of any posthumous extolling for his sake. I would like to remind you about Pasternak’s remark concerning Mayakovsky's fate. After his death, «Mayakovsky was introduced mandatorily, as had been the case with potatoes during the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia. And this was his second death, caused by others». Vysotsky tried to be recognized for almost twenty years. And the worrying question is: what does the image of Vysotsky stand for now?

According to poet Robert Rozhdestvensky (his article was published in MN, issue № 30, 1986), Vysotsky's writing is «remarkably bright, authentic and loved by all, part of this nation's culture». I'm not quite happy about the words «loved by all», though most people will pledge their love for his songs. The point is different: one shouldn’t speak in the name of all the people even if one is a recognized author and a public figure. That is not quite the spirit of the time.

An in-depth sociological analysis is needed to reveal the people's opinion of Vysotsky's songs and their preferences. It might be a good idea for a newspaper to launch a discussion with readers or a round-table discussion with professional writers. Popularity, and sometimes even excessive popularity, always has certain liabilities. The liabilities of the extensive simplifying, glossing over and popularization of his art started to pile up on those resulting from his natural popularity.

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