Glagoslav Publications Presents the First Landmark Collection of Selected Poetry in English by the Legendary Singer, Songwriter and Poet Vladimir Vysotsky
Summary:
Amongst Russians and people of the former USSR, legendary singer, songwriter and poet Vladimir Vysotsky is loved and admired like no other. His songs championed the underdog, and even today, forty years after his death at a tragically young age, people in countries as far apart as Bulgaria and Kazakhstan weep at the mere mention of his name. Yet remarkably this is the first landmark collection of his lyrics and poetry in English.
The translators set themselves the hard task of translating Vysotsky’s songs as first of all songs, not poetry, enabling readers to perform them in English. This collection of lyrics also includes sample sheet music for three Vysotsky’s songs. Vysotsky himself used the seven string guitar; the songs are adapted here to the western six string classical guitar by John Farndon and West-End singer Anthony Cable.
This bilingual volume gives a chance to enjoy Vysotsky’s works both in English and Russian, just by flipping the book over. Please note that the e-books follow a conventional arrangement: the lyrics in the Russian language follow the English translations.
About The Author:
Born in January 25, 1938 in a family of a German-language translator and a military officer, Vladimir Vysotsky was an iconic Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor. He attended the Institute of Civil Engineering (1955-1956) before joining Moscow Art Theatre School. He graduated in 1960 to become a professional actor. He met his first wife Iza Zhukova in 1956, when both were theatre institute students. From 1964 he was a member of Moscow Theatre of Drama and Comedy in the Taganka theatre. Vysotsky met his second wife Lyudmila Abramova in 1961, whom he married in 1965 and had two sons, Arkady and Nikita. In 1969 he married Marina Vlady, a French actress of Russian descent, who worked at Mosfilm at the time they met. They had to maintain a long-distance relationship for ten years.
Vysotsky was featured in several films and on television. Known for his “raspy” voice, Vysotsky was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation, covering a wide-range of themes from the criminal underworld, peace and war, to everyday Soviet life, love and friendship. Vysotsky was an immensely popular figure who continued to be revered long after his death. He died from a heart attack at the age of 42 on July 24, 1980 in Moscow.
Title: Vladimir Vysotsky: Selected Works
Author: Vladimir Vysotsky
Translator: John Farndon with Olga Nakston
Publisher: Glagoslav Publications
Language: English
ISBN: 9781914337635, 9781914337642, 9781914337659
Extent: 242 pages
Price: €24.99 (PB), €29.99 (HB), €9.95 (e-book)
Format: paperback, hardback, e-book
Review copies are available upon request.
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