Origins & Early Life

Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava (Russian: Була́т Ша́лвович Окуджа́ва; Georgian: ბულატ ოკუჯავა; Armenian: Բուլատ Օկուջավա; May 9, 1924 – June 12, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musician, novelist, and singer-songwriter of Georgian-Armenian ancestry. He was one of the founders of the Soviet genre called "author song" (авторская песня, avtorskaya pesnya), or "guitar song", and the author of about 200 songs, set to his own poetry. His songs are a mixture of Russian poetic and folk song traditions and the French chansonnier style represented by such contemporaries of Okudzhava as Georges Brassens. Though his songs were never overtly political, the freshness and independence of Okudzhava's artistic voice presented a subtle challenge to Soviet cultural authorities, who were thus hesitant for many years to give him official recognition.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Bulat Okudzhava was born in Moscow on May 9, 1924, into a family of communists who had come from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to study and to work for the Communist Party. The son of a Georgian father, Shalva Okudzhava, and an Armenian mother, Ashkhen Nalbandyan, Bulat Okudzhava spoke and wrote only in Russian. Okudzhava's mother was...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Allen Ginsberg — Contemporary (Died in 1997) (1997): Pioneering American poet, central figure of the Beat Generation, known for 'Howl'.
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• Albert A. Michelson — Shared historical date (05-09 · Died) (1931): Pioneering American experimental physicist known for light speed measurements.
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• Al-Zamakhshari — Shared historical date (06-12 · Died) (1144): Pioneering scholar of Quranic exegesis, linguistics, and theology.
• Anne Frank — Shared historical date (06-12 · Born) (1929): German-born diarist whose secret writings documented life in hiding during the Holocaust.
• 1924 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1924
• May 9 (05-09) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on May 9
• 1997 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1997
• June 12 (06-12) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on June 12