Lesson 2: Владимир Высоцкий

Lesson Description:

If this is the first time you are using a RAILS lesson, we recommend that you take a look at the page About the lessons to make sure that you understand how some features of the lessons work.

This is the second lesson in a series of three based on excerpts from an interview with Veniamin Smekhov. In this lesson, you will watch clips in which Smekhov discusses the controversial figure of Vladimir Vysotsky – actor, bard, and cult figure. The lesson consists of four parts: Биография, Феномен, Роль, and Заключение. You will watch two clips from the interview with Smekhov, read some short passages about Vysotsky’s life and death, and learn how Vysotsky is remembered today.

You can find the Помощники and Словари (Феномен и Роль) at the end of the lesson for easy reference, but they are also available in the lesson in places where you are most likely to need them.

What You Will Learn:

You will learn about Vysotsky’s life, his relationship with the Soviet authorities, and his influence on Soviet culture. You will see how gestures are used to help convey meaning, and learn to deal with difficult word order.

Learning Tips:

Keep in mind the unique challenges living and working during this period in history would have posed for an artist widely regarded as an original and free thinker.

	Number of pages: 14
	Estimated completion time: 1 hour, 15 minutes