Russian poet Bella Akhmadulina dies at 73

[May 10, 2011]  MOSCOW (AP) -- The Moscow Writers Union says that popular Soviet-era poet Bella Akhmadulina has died.

The union says the 73-year-old Akhmadulina died Monday at her home in Peredelkino just outside Moscow. Her husband Boris Meserer told the ITAR-Tass news agency that she had heart problems.

Akhmadulina published her first poems in 1955 and quickly won nationwide popularity. Her lyrics were praised for their depth and bold use of metaphor.

In the 1960s, Akhmadulina and other poets of her generation drew large audiences striving for intellectual freedom in the brief thaw that followed Stalin's death.

Akhmadulina often challenged Soviet authorities by defending poets and writers facing official persecution.

[Associated Press]

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