Bulat Okudzhava facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bulat Okudzhava
Okudzhava performing at Palace of the Republic, East Berlin, East Germany, 1976
Background information
Birth name	Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava
Born	May 9, 1924 Moscow, Soviet Union
Origin	Soviet Union
Died	June 12, 1997(1997-06-12) (aged 73) Paris, France
Genres	Author song
Occupation(s)	Musician, poet, editor, novelist, short story writer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1950s–1997
Associated acts	Bards

Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava (born May 9, 1924 – died June 12, 1997) was a famous Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is known as one of the people who helped create the "author song" style in the Soviet Union. This style is also called "guitar song." He wrote about 200 songs, using his own poems as lyrics.

Okudzhava's songs mixed traditional Russian poetry and folk music with the French chansonnier style. Even though his songs were not openly political, his unique and independent artistic voice was a quiet challenge to the Soviet government. Because of this, it took many years for him to get official recognition.

Who was Bulat Okudzhava?

Bulat Okudzhava was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, on May 9, 1924. His parents were communists who had moved from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. They came to Moscow to study and work for the Communist Party.

Bulat's father, Shalva Okudzhava, was Georgian. His mother, Ashkhen Nalbandyan, was Armenian. Even though his parents came from different backgrounds, Bulat Okudzhava only spoke and wrote in Russian.

His mother's uncle was a well-known Armenian poet named Vahan Terian. His father was a high-ranking member of the Communist Party.

Early life and challenges

In February 1937, during a difficult time in Soviet history called the Great Purge, Bulat's father was arrested. He was accused of being an "enemy of the people" and was shot in August of that year. His two brothers were also killed.

Bulat's mother was arrested in 1939 and sent to a labor camp. Bulat then moved to Tbilisi to live with his relatives. His mother was released in 1946 but was arrested again in 1949. She spent another five years in labor camps. She was finally released in 1954 and cleared of all charges in 1956, along with her husband.

Serving in World War II

In 1941, when he was 17, Bulat Okudzhava joined the Red Army as a volunteer. From 1942, he fought in World War II against Nazi Germany. After leaving the army in 1944, he went back to Tbilisi. There, he finished high school and then studied at Tbilisi State University, graduating in 1950. After college, he worked as a teacher in a small village and later in the city of Kaluga.

Returning to Moscow and starting music

In 1956, after Joseph Stalin died, Okudzhava moved back to Moscow. His parents had been cleared of all charges, and the new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had spoken out against Stalin. This allowed Bulat Okudzhava to join the Communist Party, where he remained a member until 1990.

In Moscow, he first worked as an editor for a publishing house. Later, he became the head of the poetry section at a major national literary newspaper. It was around this time, in the mid-1950s, that he started writing and performing his own songs. He would sing them while playing his Russian guitar.

Becoming a popular songwriter

Soon, Okudzhava began giving concerts. He knew only a few chords and had no formal music training. However, he had a special talent for creating beautiful melodies. The smart words of his songs fit perfectly with his music and voice.

His friends loved his songs, and they made unofficial recordings. These recordings were copied many times and spread widely across the Soviet Union and Poland. Young people everywhere started learning his songs and singing them. In 1969, his song lyrics were used in the famous Soviet film White Sun of the Desert.

Poet and novelist

Even though Okudzhava's songs were not officially published until the late 1970s, they became incredibly popular. They were especially loved by educated people in the Soviet Union and later by Russian speakers in other countries.

Okudzhava saw himself mainly as a poet and thought his musical recordings were not as important. In the 1980s, he also published many books. His novel The Show is Over won him a major literary award in Russia in 1994. By the 1980s, official recordings of his songs were finally released in the Soviet Union. Many books of his poetry were also published. In 1991, he received the USSR State Prize, a very high honor.

Okudzhava supported the changes happening in the Soviet Union. He passed away in Paris on June 12, 1997. He is buried in a famous cemetery in Moscow. A monument marks the building on Arbat Street where he lived. His country house, called a dacha, is now a museum that people can visit.

A small planet, 3149 Okudzhava, discovered in 1981, is named after him. His songs are still very popular today and are often performed. They are also used to help people learn Russian.

Okudzhava's musical style

Like most bards (singer-songwriters), Okudzhava did not have a formal music background. He learned basic guitar skills from friends. He also knew how to play simple chords on a piano.

Okudzhava used a Russian guitar, which has seven strings. He often tuned it lower to match his voice better. He played in a classical way, usually picking the strings with his fingers in a flowing pattern, often like a waltz.

He once said that he only knew three basic chords at first, and by the end of his life, he knew a total of seven.

Many of his songs were in a minor key, which often sounds a bit sad or thoughtful. By the 1990s, Okudzhava started using the more common six-string guitar. However, he kept his special Russian tuning, which worked well with his playing style.

Books in English

• "The Art of Needles and Sins", (story), from The New Soviet Fiction, 1989.
• "Good-bye, Schoolboy!" and "Promoxys", (stories), from Fifty Years of Russian Prose, Volume 2, 1971.
• The Extraordinary Adventures of Secret Agent Shipov in Pursuit of Count Leo Tolstoy, in the year 1862, (novel), 1973.
• Nocturne: From the Notes of Lt. Amiran Amilakhvari, Retired, (novel), 1978.
• A Taste of Liberty, (novel), 1986.
• "Girl of My Dreams", (story), from 50 Writers: An Anthology of 20th Century Russian Short Stories, 2011.

Selected film music and appearances

Images for kids

• 

  Monument to Bulat Okudzhava in Arbat Street, Moscow

See also

In Spanish: Bulat Okudzhava para niños