Picky Horses

Today, when the half-expressions of life are left behind, the hasty posthumous praises have subsided, and the period of cultural canonization of Vladimir Vysotsky as a nationwide bard and equally beloved actor has arrived, the uniqueness of his phenomenon becomes obvious. Even decades later, it does not lend itself to "appropriation," turning into a "sturdy cast monument"; it continues to exist separately, following its "own path" - "without insurance," "in defiance of ropes, cables, wires," beyond the line of "red flags." This separateness, individuality, and irreducibility to common formulas and established trails (which is what makes the author truly alive) paradoxically coexist with his extraordinary receptiveness to other creative voices, the imagery of high poetry, and the prosaicness of everyday speech, with an openness to all kinds of styles and genres, themes and constructions, poetic meters and lyrical personae. An acute - to the point of raw nerves - sense of life and poetic truth, an absolute ear that rejects any false intonation, an incredible diversity of roles not played on stage or in cinema, but lived in songs and poems - all this polyphony of meanings and images is contained within the pages of a worthy book.