Let's read Ukrainian literature
Taras Shevchenko: Testament
On the 9th and 10th of March, Ukraine celebrates the days of Taras Shevchenko’s birth and
death. Shevchenko is the most celebrated poet in Ukraine, and is considered to be the
forefather of modern Ukrainian language and literature. His contribution to the Ukrainian
national identity, language, literature, and culture is invaluable. Shevchenko was a great
Ukrainian patriot and fought for Ukrainian independence at the time when Ukraine was under
the control of the Russian Empire, and Ukrainian language was not allowed to be written or
spoken. Ukrainians all over the world honor the great Kobzar (I do not know what this is): in
practically every megalopolis there is a monument to this great Ukrainian. Shevchenko’s world-
famous “Testament” is an ode to his deep love for Ukraine and its people. Other famous works
of Shevchenko include “Dream,” “Fairy tale,” and “Message.” All these works make fun of the
Russian oppression of Ukraine and its people, language, and culture, and predicted a free future
for Ukraine. Shevchenko repeatedly politically condemned the Russian government for its open
propaganda against the independence of Ukraine, and wrote poems in Ukrainian ridiculing the
members of the Russian Imperial government. For this, Shevchenko was punished by exile and
mandatory service in the military. But he survived and refused to break, and remained a loyal
son of his homeland until the end of his life. It is important to note that although the Russian
Empire banned all of Shevchenko’s works, including “Testament,” it has now been translated
into more than 150 languages and embodies the universal desire for freedom. University of
Toronto students introduce the world to “Testament” by reciting its lines in different languages
that they know.
Lesya Ukrainka
On the 25th of February, Ukraine celebrates the outstanding Ukrainian poet, Lesya Ukrainka.
Lesya was a leading figure in modern feminist thought. Her early lyrical poem, influenced by
Taras Shevchenko dealt with her loneliness and social isolation and alienation, as well as her
love of freedom, especially national freedom for Ukraine. Her poetry collections “On the Wings
of Songs” (1893), “Thoughts and Dreams” (1899), and “Echo” (1902), established her as the
leading young Ukrainian poet of that time. Lesya also wrote short stories and critical essays,
and masterfully translated some works of Homer, William Shakespeare, Lord Byron, and Victor
Hugo. She took an active role in the Ukrainian fight against tsardom. In 1907, she was arrested,
and after her release she was under the surveillance of the tsarist police. Despite bad health
and a difficult fate, Lesya never gave up her passion for faith, hope, and fighting for freedom.
Students at the University of Toronto read Lesya Ukrainka’s poem “Contra spem spero”
(“Without Hope, I hope”).
Ivan Franko
Ivan Franko was a Ukrainian poet, writer, public figure and literary critic, journalist, interpreter,
economist, politician, philosophy doctor/philosopher, ethnographer, and the author of the first
detective books and modern prose in the Ukrainian language. He was a political radical, and the
founder of socialist and nationalist movements in western Ukraine. Besides his own literary
works, he also translated the works of famous authors such as William Shakespeare, Lord
Byron, and Victor Hugo into Ukrainian. Performances based on his translations were held on
the stage of the Ruska Beseda theater. Along with Taras Shevchenko, he had a huge impact on
the modern literary and political thought of Ukraine. In total, Franko wrote over 1000 works.
During the Soviet period in Ukraine, he was widely promoted and celebrated in Ukraine,
especially for his poem “Masons,” which was full of revolutionary political ideas. This is how he
received the nickname “Kamenyar,” or “Mason.” Franko was a symbol of the fight for the
equality of Ukrainians and independence of Ukraine. In 1962, the city of Stanislaviv in western
Ukraine was renamed to Ivano-Frankivsk in honor of the poet. In December of 2020, the
Ukrainian program at the University of Toronto (Mariana Burak and Nadiya Gerelyuk), with the
support of the School Council of Ukrainian Schools in Toronto and the BCU Foundation organized a charity event in order to
save a pear tree that was growing nearby the Franko House in L’viv, Ukraine. Students from 7
Ukrainian schools in Toronto used their knowledge to raise money for medicine for the tree,
which was planted by Franko himself, and also virtually visited the house where
the famous writer lived. You can watch a video of the event here:
