Total Attack
The affair between Andrei Voznesensky and Zoya Boguslavskaya triggered a rapid withdrawal of the circle around them. A mature woman, already a mother, left a stable life with her husband to pursue a romance with a scandalous poet nine years her junior.
Voznesensky fell for Boguslavskaya at first sight and soon showed clear interest. The chosen one initially kept her distance, but soon his actions grew bolder. When Boguslavskaya traveled on a river cruise with her son, the poet arranged flowers at each pier with a note that read From Comrade Voznesensky. He later described this in his memoirs. Boguslavskaya admitted that she felt overwhelmed by the attention and could barely leave the cabin during the voyage.
At the ship’s end in Petrozavodsk, Voznesensky waited, exhausted and hungry after a long stretch without rest. Boguslavskaya, however, reacted with anger to his poems and asked him to forget her name. The distress was so deep that the writer sent a conciliatory letter. They reunited later, and Boguslavskaya soon filed for divorce.
early years of marriage
Boguslavskaya’s second husband, Boris Kagan, a Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, and Stalin Prize recipient, suggested postponing discussions about divorce. He refused to accept delay. Friends of the writer doubted that the passion would endure. Yet in 1964 the lovers married, renting a two-room apartment for two years. Eventually the poet secured his own home with the help of Sergei Mikhalkov, head of the Moscow Writers’ Association, after filing for a separate apartment.
The marriage brought many challenges. Job opportunities and publication of articles faced obstacles due to the affair. The couple received persistent calls from Voznesensky’s admirers, and Boguslavskaya endured criticism from Voznesensky’s mother about the relationship.
I can’t come. almond blossoms.
In 1963, the 29-year-old Voznesensky received an invitation to perform poetry at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The piece Ave, Oza, dedicated to Boguslavskaya, was to be heard there for the first time. He planned to travel to Yalta to refine the work, believing it needed work. Meanwhile, his wife was constantly contacted with requests about rehearsals. Two days before the show, she received a telegram: Honey, I cannot come. almond flowers.
Prominent pianists, including Svyatoslav Richter and Heinrich Neuhaus, attended the recital. The situation was saved when Boguslavskaya answered a call and insisted that the performance would not go on without her support. Voznesensky hustled to the venue, but later criticized his wife for delaying the poem due to her perceived duty to the public.
Boguslavskaya on her husband
In 2018, Boguslavskaya spoke to mk.ru about the relationship and the trust between them. Andrei occupied a central place in her life, marked by love and a deep bond. She recalled his mischievous nature and his unpretentious warmth at home. She described him as affectionate and open in private, contrasting with the pressures of public life.
tests
At times, danger stalked the couple. In Peredelkino, near Moscow, three robbers threatened Boguslavskaya with a knife, while Voznesensky slept upstairs. She managed to persuade the intruders to seize only what they needed and go. Later, during a stroll, Voznesensky faced an attack of wild dogs and endured multiple bites. She explained that he often wrote poetry while moving and on foot.
Incidents persisted. He left Peredelkino at dawn and faced a pack of wild dogs, suffering thirty-six bites. Daily rabies injections followed. A years later, a serious car crash left him gravely injured, and the famed doctor Levon Badalyan helped save him. The most alarming moment occurred in Cyprus in 1995 when Voznesensky nearly drowned. Boguslavskaya stood on shore and watched as the event highlighted the first signs of Parkinsons disease. She pursued top doctors and therapists, secured rare medications, and organized surgeries to aid his recovery.
In later years, she believed a path forward existed and remained by his side, supporting him through every setback. He died in her arms after their 46-year marriage ended with his passing on June 1, 2010.
memory of a poet
After Voznesensky’s passing, Boguslavskaya and her son Leonid, from another marriage, founded the Parabola Prize in honor of the poet. On May 12, 2018, the year of his 85th birthday, they opened the Voznesensky Center in the Zamoskvorechye district of Moscow, a place connected to the poet’s childhood. The center remains a lasting tribute to his work and influence.
[Citation: Biographical accounts and interviews published in archival sources]