The name of Bulat Okudzhava (1924–1997) for several generations of readers and listeners has become synonymous with the concepts of “intelligence,” “nobility,” and “dignity.” The apparent simplicity of his poems and songs made it possible for everyone to apply them to themselves, to imbue them with personal biographical circumstances, while the biography of Okudzhava himself fully reflected the Russian twentieth century - the arrest of his parents, the war, the rapid popularity of the Thaw, official semi-recognition and tragic disappointments recent years. Interest in Okudzhava’s life and work remains enormous, but his first complete biography is being published for the first time. Its author, the famous writer and publicist Dmitry Bykov, considers the personality of his hero against the broad background of Russian literature and public life, seeing in him the embodiment of the phenomenon of the Russian intelligentsia with all its strengths and weaknesses, achievements and mistakes. The book is based on the oral and written memories of Bulat Shalvovich himself, his relatives and friends, includes a detailed analysis of many of his works, supplemented with rare photographs.