15 Facts About Alexei Khvostenko

Alexei Khvostenko was a Russian avant-garde poet, singer-songwriter, artist and sculptor.

Alexei Khvostenko was born on 14 November 1940 in Sverdlovsk.

Alexei Khvostenko soon moved to Leningrad, where he grew up.

Alexei Khvostenko studied at the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography.

In 1968 Alexei Khvostenko moved to Moscow and became an active figure in Russian underground literary circles, publishing his poetry and songs through samizdat.

Alexei Khvostenko became a prominent figure in the revival of the avant-garde movement in Soviet literature and art that became possible during Nikita Khrushchev's "thaw" after the death of Joseph Stalin.

Alexei Khvostenko is sometimes referred to as the "grandfather of Russian rock".

Alexei Khvostenko co-wrote the song "The Golden City" that later achieved iconic status in Russia when it was sung by Boris Grebenshchikov in the 1987 film "Assa".

Apart from literary works, Alexei Khvostenko was an accomplished painter and sculptor, known for his innovative collages.

At the time Alexei Khvostenko was good friends with a prominent Russian poet Joseph Brodsky, who was persecuted by the Soviet authorities.

In 1977 Alexei Khvostenko was forced by the Soviet authorities to emigrate.

Alexei Khvostenko became a leading figure in the Russian literary community in France.

Alexei Khvostenko's songs became widely popular in Russia, particularly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In 2004, after a personal appeal to President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Khvostenko regained his Russian citizenship.

Alexei Khvostenko died of heart failure on 30 November 2004 in a Moscow hospital.