The threads binding the poetry of Vladimir Vysotsky with Russian and foreign literature
have a diverse character – some convergences, similarities of his works to those
of other authors can be identifi ed in the content, the subject, and the metre of the poems.
Some of the literary associations are easily detectable for any recipient, others are more
diffi cult to fi nd. The article focuses on the identifi ed links between the works of Vysotsky
and those of foreign authors such as Pierre-Jean de Béranger, Robert Burns, and Bertolt
Brecht. The convergences observed between Vysotsky’s and de Béranger’s poems,
in the subject, form, and metre, indicate the affi nity of the way of thinking and ideals,
as well as both poets’ love of freedom, despite the 150 year gap between their birth
dates. The presented links with literature of the 18th, 19th, and 20th century widen the
opportunities for interpreting the works of Vladimir Vysotsky.