Andrei Voznesensky

Voznesensky became an iconic figure among soviet youth in the 1960’s, along with Yevtushenko, Akhmadulina, Okudzhava and Rozhdestvensky. At 14, he was befriended by Pasternak. He met Ginsberg in Moscow, became good friends, and did many public readings with him. Ehrenburg advised him on how to avoid complications. Solzhenytsin inscribed a book to him, Auden admired his craftsmanship, and Akhmadulina set up a post-soviet writers’ union with him. Miller, Picasso and Sartre all became friends. He collaborated with Schnittke, and met Heidegger in his study, the two struggling to converse in French and English.