80 pp. Album format. 11 x 15.5 cm. Illustrated publisher's covers. Overall good condition. Spots, creases, stains on the cover. Foxing inside. Rust on staples. After a short 1919 Polish-Ukrainian war, part of the Western Ukraine, including Lviv and its territories, was forced under the Polish reign and stayed so till 1939, affecting lives of over 5 mln. Ukrainians. At first, the Polish government declared all the possible freedoms and rights of national minorities, but from 1924 the situation quickly started to get worse. Time of forced assimilation came. However, Polish Ukrainians were still a huge diaspora, so huge, that there were even different political forces and ideas within it. One of them was communism. This brochure was printed under the initiative of the illegal Komunistychna partiia Zakhidnoi Ukrainy [Communist party of the Western Ukraine]. In 1920's activities of KPZU, including printing, were partially funded by the Bolsheviks. KPZU had several thousand members. Underground publications were thriving. It is known that during 1919-1933 communist organisations in Galicia printed a total 190 books and brochures, some of them abroad with the support of the Polish and Austrian communists. Also illegal bulletins, ephemera and newspapers were printed in abundance. There were even separate underground newspapers for the soldiers of the region and some leaflets printed in Yiddish. More than that, KPZU played it smart and used some of the friendly organisations to print legal books and legal newspapers under the name of another organisation, but with communist ideas on the pages. The books had to undergo only a short content review with a Polish censor, so more or less ordinary books were able to get a permit to be published. It is unclear whether this exact brochure was printed illegally or with a censor approval. It's all in the contents. On the outside, this is a general guide book aimed to help Ukrainian-speaking workers to understand their rights and share light on the 1910-1920's trade union movement all around the world. On the inside, the book is exploiting this card of national oppression to find the road to the reader's heart. At the same time, marxist ideas are combined with the exhortations that the unions cannot be apolitical and should be tightly connected with the party. According to the author, the party "shows the purpose, road, methods and tactics of the fight" to the union. One can only guess how the censor regarded such content. However, the anonymity of the book and the discrepancy between year of issue on the cover and on the title might be a hint that this book was printed illegally. Rare. Not i in WorldCat. Not in KVK. Not in the National Library of Ukraine.
Kulish, P[anteleimon] A[leksandrovych]
40 pp. 19,5 x 14 cm. 2nd edition as stated on the cover & title. Original publisher's typed pink softcover mirroring the title page. Unusual for the books of this era/region, v. good condition. Minor foxing, minor dusting. Untrimmed. Slight damage to the bottom of the spine with 3 cm of the back cover detached, but no paper loss. With a dedication to the two Eastern European classics, Taras Shevchenko and Adam Mietzkevich, noting their similar "humanitarian martyrdom". The short dedication consists of nine lines and is printed using a stunning mix of 6 different fonts: possibly, all Cyrillic fonts and typefaces available at Druk. T-va ym. Shevchenka. Panteleimon "Pan'ko" Kulish (1819 - 1897) was a prominent Ukrainian author, as popular as the great Taras Schevchenko. By 1880's he rose to fame with historical novels, reflecting on the Ukrainian past. Kulish even invented a version of ABC for Ukrainian language, now known as kulishovka. This Krashanka is also printed using kulishovka, with rarely seen symbols like Ñ used in text. It provides stress for readers less familiar with the language. Kulish wrote novels, poetry and short stories both in Russian and Ukrainian. Kulish also made a number of important first translations of classic books, even including the Bible. A true patriot, Kulish nevertheless was pro-Russian and anti- Cossack. This stance, found in the present edition, led to major misunderstanding with the Ukrainian intellectuals and historians of his era. This was the first book published by Kulish as he moved back to Lviv in 1881 after a long Warsaw period. His connection with Polish culture and local intellectuals in Warsaw probably inspired this take on connecting two Eastern European nations. Kulish uses Easter, celebrated simultaneously by Poles and Rusyns as a symbolic feast connecting the cultures, one that unites them from within the Christian worldview. Easter was also quite interconnected with centuries-long peasant traditions in both Eastern cultures. Throughout nine chapters, he looks into historical similarities and joint struggles faced by the nations. The book is partially a plea, partially a historybacked reflection. Kulish uses references to similar religion and historical events to kind of envision the future where the Ukrainians and Poles are united. He uses a multitude of means to actually construct a virtually non-existent unity of the past. In trying to do so, Kulish brings up Tatar invaders as a common foe and even labels cossacks as "rebels". (Adamska, Iryna. The Image of Ukrainian Cossacks in Panteleimon Kulish's Brochure // Studia Polityczne 2022, tom 50, # 4) Folk wisdom and sayings are used as epigraphs, speculating on the topics of "brotherhood" and "neighbourliness". In the end, unsurprisingly, the book was disliked by both the Poles and Ukrainians. Moreover, Ukrainians became openly angry with criticism of cossacks and haidamaks and wrote some critical replies, noting errors Kulish made in his research and the characteristics used to picture cossacks. The book contradicted the forming nationalistic view of the nation's history. However, Kulish stayed true to his opinion and in the subsequent years it made him drift from the mainstream Ukrainian culture to a marginal position. Natsional'na bibliohrafiia Ukrainy (Kyiv, 2019) vol. 1: 1798-1903, # 2285. Levytskii, # 2437 Extremely rare, especially i in such condition. According to the aforementioned Natsional'na bibliohrafifiia Ukrainy, 8 copies of this 2nd edition are found in Ukrainian libraries). WorldCat fifinds 8 copies. 5 in Europe (British Library, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Bibliothèque de Genève, UK UCL and School of Slavonic & Eastern European Studies), 3 in the US - Saint Basil's College Library, University of Wisconsin Library, University of Cincinnati. KVK doesn't find any additional copies.
(Vol. Charnets'kyi, editor)
Nos. 4, 5, 8, 12, 14-16, 18-20, 23, 26, 28-34, 40, 41 for 1947 and nos. 6, 8, 9, 13, 19 for 1948. (25 issues total). 16 p., ill. Augsburg: Verlag PU-HU, 1947-1948. Published under D.P. Publications license US-E-4, OMGB. Issues mostly in good condition. Some have detached covers. Faded paper. Tears to the front and back pages on some of the nos. No. 9 for 1948 lacks the central conjoining pages, no. 19 for 1947 lacks the last page, no. 23 from 1947 has only the front and last page survived, stapled with a page of another issue. No. 29 for 1947 lacks two pages. For no. 40 of 1947 only the front page is preserved, the rest of the issue is lacking. Most issues bearing I. and O. Chmoly personal library stamps. "Pu-Hu" was a Zaporizhzhia cossack watchword imitating the cry of an owl. It was used to greet one another and the editor uses this word to greet those who understand the password. And those who understand were the readers of this edition, WWII displaced persons. Displaced persons were literally people who were away from their homeland - mostly refugees and ex-concentration camps prisoners. The Allies managed to construct a network of DP camps on the controlled territories of Germany. Altogether, the camps held some 1.5 mln people and among those close to 200 000 Ukrainians. There were 125 camps with Ukrainians, 80 of them being fully Ukrainian and some of the Ukrainians lived in mixed camps together with other Eastern Europeans. The operations were run by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and the camps were functioning till late 1950's. People lived in camps for years and each camp housed several thousand people. Thus, camps had active social, cultural and even political life. Camp administration organised all what the society could offer: primary schools and secondary education, theatres, choirs, workshops, professional courses, businesses. And of course, publishing activities were started as early as the first camps were organised. First two newspapers were Nashe zhyttia and Chas, both issued as early as Autumn 1945. During the first two years the DP periodical was pure legal chaos but from 1947 new rules were introduced by the military administration. All the publisher's work was controlled by Allied military officials, thus magazines had to get special permission to be issued. In most cases that was just a formality as long as the periodical had a firm loyal Allied position. It is known that under new rules, 40 periodicals were registered across all DP camps, of them 10 Ukrainian. Pu-Hu was one of those 10, with the license number US-E-4 as stated in each issue. Pu-Hu is a reflection of what is known as "the Golden age of DP press", a short period from 1947 to 1948. There were several factors contributing to the boom. From 1947 there was already an understandable legal framework on how to publish, to sell the magazines, pay taxes and to be at least a self-sustainable enterprise. Also, after a period of shortage of Cyrillic publishing machines, new technology became available, making a better quality printing process an option. Moreover, there were still a lot of readers in the camps (later most of them moved to live either to the US or to a particular European country), so there was a considerable market for periodicals. And finally, after the first hectic months and years, the life in camps was more or less settled. People were interested to get back to their occupation - including the press professionals and writers. Thus, the union of Ukrainian journalists was active, people were eager to create, write, publish. With the golden age, the DP press was thriving. The total number of Ukrainian DP periodicals known today from the 1945-1950's era being 327. Some were special bulletins issued by camp administration. Thematic bulletins, student press, woman magazines, Esperanto publications - a variety of periodicals were being published. And compared to such, Pu-Hu should be considered a mainstream media. Pu-Hu was issued in Somme-Kaserne camp of Augsburg, a key place for the DP era of Ukrainian culture. Somme-Kaserne housed at least 6000 Ukrainians. The camp network housed a whole Ukrainian museum, 3 churches, 14 different organisations, some political parties' HQ, theatres, 2 choirs and even a ballet group. It was also a place of regular meetings and conferences, including scientific and political ones. News on some of them are featured in Pu-Hu that was. Pu-Hu was issued in 1947-1949, some sources state that it was also issued as a monthly in 1954. And we can only guess the circulation of Pu-Hu. The most popular newspapers from 1947-48 had a circulation of up to 10-15 000 copies. Pu-Hu was a weekly, heavily illustrated, more expensive and overall a more solid, Sunday-like edition, compared to an ordinary newspaper. So Pu-Hu was probably printed in several thousand copies to be distributed in the neighbouring camps. Under Pu-Hu press license some supplements were published, one known from the WorldCat directory is Avanhard, a bulletin for the youth. The content policy is typical for any mainstream ethno-centric periodical: key world news, columns (mostly on emigration and political issues), rich material on national culture, something on world exploration: photo-essays, travel impression, edutainment, sport and humour. Some issues show a strong interest in the overseas migration and many mention the US as it was already becoming a go-to destination for thousands of the displaced persons. Articles on Ukrainian culture were especially important as many if not all of Ukrainians in camps were devoid of any citizenship and were constructing their self-identification through ethnicity only. Those include a variety of formats: from columns on the Ukrainian language and exhibition reviews to biographies of known Ukrainian writers. Almost every other issue quotes some poetic verses of the contemporary poets, most of them also DP camp dwellers. No. 31 for 1947
60x85 cm. Good condition, folded. On the verso inscription of one of the participants of the production in Ukrainian, stating the date and the time of the performance. Design of the poster is by Vladislav Klekh (1922-2001), a well-known Ukrainian and American stage designer. Born in Kyiv, he has studied in Konstantinovka Art School on Donbass, during the war he was a stage decorator in a theatre in Bila Tsirkva. After the war he was one of organisers of DP theatre in Regensburg, and another one in Ulm. Most of his career he worked in USA, since 1960s at Met Opera in New York, also he was one of the decorators for the movies Spartakus (1960) and the West Side Story (1981). The play was staged by Volodimir Blavatskiy (1900-1953) - famous Ukrainian actor and theatre director. In the period 1941-1944, he worked at the Lviv National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet and immigrated to the West after 1944. From 1945 he headed the Ensemble of Ukrainian Actors, and in 1949 the Ukrainian Theater of V. Blavatsky in Germany. Later the Ensemble moved to Philadelphia in USA. After the liberation of Germany, these refugees found themselves among two million Ukrainians in the western zones of occupation. Approximately 90 percent of them returned to their homeland, with many doing so voluntarily, driven by homesickness and the desire to reunite with their families. Others were compelled to return by the Western powers in accordance with the Yalta Agreement. Among the 200,000 Ukrainian Displaced Persons (DPs) who stayed in the western zones of Germany beyond 1945, 30 to 40 percent were refugees who had left their homeland out of fear of Soviet rule. The remaining individuals were former slave laborers who had been brought to Germany by the Germans. These camps, organized by the national principle, were very important in nation-building and the affirmation of the national identity by the people who have lived there. After 1946 majority of the population of these camps immigrated to North America. Overall a fascinating survival of its time, the original poster used in DP camp.
Maloz'omov, Y[van]
52, [4] pp., ill., 1 folding map. 22,5 x 15,5 cm. Original anonymous illustrated publisher's cover. One of 5000 copies. In Ukrainian. The fold-out map in the book Velyke Zaporizhzhia, 1932. is Heneral'nyi plian Velykoho Zaporizhzhia [i.e. Greater Zaporizhzhia. General plan of Greater Zaporizhzhia]. Skladeno Dipromistom USRR., scale 1:50000. Good to very good condition. Minor wear to the edges of both covers and the spine. Insides clean, minor paper yellowing. A tear of 0.5 cm to the left part of the fold-out map. The photomontage cover shows the completed grandiose construction of the dam, some buildings and portraits of presumably happy city dwellers. The Sotsmisto (Rus. Sotsgorod) was a project claiming to be the "city of the future", led by the architect Viktor Vesnin (1882-1950), planned and constructed under record 4 years. Completed by 1932, the area was an aesthetical success and became the first communal quarters of its kind of the UkrSSR. As both an important milestone and an experimental project, it asked for books, brochures, documentaries and richly illustrated parade editions: one of them being this illustrated booklet. The author of this surprisingly basic informational booklet, Yvan Maloz'omov (1899-1954), student of peredvizhnik Olexander Murashko (1875-1919), was a Kharkiv architect who went on to become chief architect of Leningrad. He started working with the Zaporizhia region, later Maloz'omov completed general reconstruction plans for key Soviet cities: Tbilisi, Kiev, Yerevan, Tver and some others. Sotsmisto was the city section planned as a one piece, as a city block - and was intended to house a total of 404 thousand citizens by 1960. The Sotzmisto however was intended to house primarily the workers of Dnepr Hydroelectric Power Station, fulfilling all their cultural, familial, personal needs. The block was planned to be both easily accessible and a pleasant place to live in, all to sustain a great life-work balance. Surrounded by greenery and with a whole 9 sq. m. of living area per person, it was a 180 degree turn in quality of life for someone accustomed to living in the dirty barracks for years. The section was a construction of a schematic approach, initially called "The Sixth district". Vesnin brought to help him with a project a younger generation of architects with an artistic eye: Nikolay Kolli, Georgii Orlov, Olga Yafa. Olga Yafa (1899-1982), woman architect, was full responsible for 4 houses - a rarity for the first third of the XXth century in any European country. Yafa and Vesnin accounted for the modern feminist ideas and planned collective amenities that helped women to emancipate and become fully engaged in the social, political and cultural life of the district. Vesnin, with the help of German and American specialists, was overseeing the general construction plan and the architects were responsible for different buildings within it - all different, but all standardised, accented by balconies and windows. The plan was amended and changed in 1931, incorporating the newest technical approaches and cheaper materials. There were dormitories and a number of multipurpose buildings as centres of the ensemble and centres of the social living: one building served as theatrical stage, club and a collective dining hall. The hospital building saw the application of the newest architecture ideas. As such, the window positioning helped to fill with light both the rooms and the halls. The communal school was planned to accommodate 1000 pupils simultaneously: a number previously unheard of in Ukraine. Sotsmisto was planned to be developed gradually and can be compared to Kharkiv KhTz Sotsmisto: a larger district built around the Kharkiv machine factory planned to house 140 thousand citizens. Initially it saw an apparent agreement and understanding between idealistic talented architects and State managers willing to use masses on the imperial projects like DneproGES in hopes to build a great career. By early 1930's this understanding ended. The authorities decided that there was no time and place for all the bells and whistles in the city's architecture. In 1932 the republican ministry took over the project and basically ended the artistic experiment. The following city building became concentrated on cheaper functional development of the region: one less interesting and with no deliberate constructivist essence in its outlook, also drifting away from the idea of communal living with shared amenities. By 1938 a majestic C-shaped house was finished by V. Lavrov (not shown in the brochure): rumour has it, the architects wanted to build a chain of letter-shaped houses to form Joseph Stalin's name. Initial views of the Sixth village are possibly surviving only in this book. After devastating local WWII fights, Sotsmisto was reconstructed and the buildings lost its initial purpose, serving as hotels, offices. The cityscape also was updated by personal balconies, adding some grotesque nuances, showing how with time the collectivistic ideals were left behind for a more individualistic approach. Despite later less stylish additions and WWII destructions, the area of Sotsmisto is still extraordinary and is currently under review for inclusion in the UNESCO heritage list. Rare. WorldCat fi finds 1 copy (Princeton). Not in KVK.
83, [5] pp., ill. 22,5 x 15 cm. Original publisher's wrapper. One of 3000 copies. In Ukrainian. Good condition. Light spots on the front cover, dirt spots on the back cover. Back cover corner bent. Trace of pencil mark on the reverse of the title page. Minor tear of the last pages around staples. Cover design by S. Kirillov. The statistical data is presented using infographics in a style similar to the one adopted later by IZOSTAT. Images like growing piles of coins or a more muscular worker near a weaker one were easily remembered and served as effective propaganda tools. The book consists of 10 chapters - excluding a theme-setting preface. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the October revolution, it praises the Soviet regime in the language of numbers. The book is not a study: rather, a collection of essays confirming the saying on lies, damned lies, and statistics. In a direct and uncompromised manner the preface states that the "numbers and facts" present in the brochure should be used to refute the claims of "enemies" and critics. The book was issued during the still free-spirited era or the Ukrainian Renaissance and hinted at the future harsh twist in the regional politics of the USSR that followed in 1930's. Ukraine was fully conquered by the Bolsheviks by 1920. Kharkiv was the key city in the UkrSSr, serving as the capital from 1919 to 1934, gaining significance as the machinery production center. The new State, thrown back by years of hardships of the military conflict, showed rapid recovery, characteristic for any post-war peaceful periods, combined with the continuation of the ex-imperial program of mass industrialization and mechanisation, a plan that was started in the Russian Empire. Combined with an early Bolshevik stake on Ukrainization (indigenization), the book highlighted spheres that showed extensive development in recent years. Anonymity and the lack of bibliographical apparatus indeed do raise questions on the credibility of the volume. The book focuses on political, economical and industrial changes in the region, "failing" to mention such simple but important facts as population - one that was fluctuating and was not experiencing any sustained growth worthy of praise. With some facts stated being checked using modern reliable resources, it is clear that authors are using partially correct, partially adjusted data. For example, the authors state that by 1913 there were only 853 schools, while reliable research notes there were 1799 schools by 1909 in the Kharkiv governorate - with 796 schools being sponsored by the Christian Church, an organisation that by late 1920s was stricken out from the history by the Bolsheviks (Karelin, M. Sotsial'no-ekonomichni umovy rozvytku narodnoi osvity u Kharkivs'koi Hubernii u druhii polovyni XIX - na pochatku XX stolittia. Vydavnytstvo NPU im. M. P. Drahomanova, 2011). Yet, the data nevertheless provides a more or less balanced outlook on the real situation of the Kharkiv region during late 1920'ies, especially in terms of the new economic policy, the switch from personal to collective farming and rapid industrialization. However, the anonymous collective author cherry-picks data to make the Soviet government look good, caring and effective. They show the cultural diversity, but mention only Russians and Ukrainians - while it is known that Jewish and Polish minorities still played an important role in the region and formed over 20% of Kharkiv population. In another chapter, specific statistics are compared to 1917, some - only to 1925/26 - all with a clear intention to show steady growth brought by the new government. Some of the omissions might be forgiven due to the government turmoil of the area during late 1910's, some are surely caused by the chosen approach of forming the data tables. In describing agricultural development, specific years are deliberately not reported to hide the problems with collective farming compared to personal villager work. In reality, the growth was not as steady and of course was caused by a number of factors, including first years of peaceful life, relatively good weather and crops, technical development of the 20th century etc. - and not the "correct" government per se. Still, the Kharkiv region of the 1920's was a place of cultural and economic thriving. In just 5 years, due to ill weather and poor government management, Kharkiv will be stricken by Holodomor, a horrific famine that will result in over a million deaths in the region. The numerical stamp on the back cover is not accompanied by any library stamps meaning the book was probably distributed according to some lists. Rare. N Not in WorldCat, not in KVK. Not in the Russian State Library. Not in the National Library of Ukraine.
Hil'din, Khaim
79, [1] pp. 18 x 12 cm. Illustrated publisher's wrapper. In Ukrainian. First and only edition. Overall good condition. Signs of wear, discoloration of the front cover. Spine reglued with 2 cm paper loss on the upper part. Untrimmed top edge. 1 cm paper loss at the top right corner of the front cover. Owner's rubber stamp on the title attributing the book to the personal library of Sergei Haponiuk. Numbers in ink on the title, possibly showing catalogue revision of Haponiuk's collection. Design of covers by K. Khudiak. Khudiak is mentioned as an author of illustrations for 8 children's books of 1930's in Ukrayins'ka Dytyacha Literatura 1930-kh Rokiv u Fondakh Pedahohichnoho Muzeiu Ukrainy. Kataloh-Putivnyk (Kyiv, 2019). Is it known that Khudyak went on to illustrate a considerable amount of books also during 1940's. Khaim Hil'din ( 1884-1944 ,×××"××× ×××× ) or more commonly in the West as Khayim Gildin - was a recognized and well-red Jewish writer. Gildin was favoured first by the revolutionaries and later by the new regime as from a young age he was inspired by the socialist ideals. According to the recent Evrei v Ukrainy. Naukovo-Dopomizhnyi Bibliohrafichnyi Pokazhchyk 1917-1941 (Kyiv: Knyzhkova palata Ukrainy, 2000), at least 27 publications of Gildin's works were issued. Most of them are separate books either in Hebrew or Ukrainian. Akin to a well-known Dickens character, Gildin was forced to work at a shoe factory already as a child. He quickly got involved in the revolutionary movement and became a member of Fareynikte - Jewish socialist party. Early verses by Gilden were pathetical and showed his emotional investment in the new political ideas (Literaturnaja jenciklopedija v 11 t. Vol. 2. [M.]: Izd-vo Kom. Akad., 1929. - Col. 533]). Possibly the first industrial Yiddish poet, Gildin went as far as issuing a poem with a pretentious title Leniniada (1st ed.: 1924). Gildin also became a member of Yiddish proletarian writers circle. The group planned a magazine aimed at Yiddish-speaking workers, but the efforts were not fruitful. After spending some time in burgeoning Moscow, Gildin settled in Ukraine. From 1925 he was mainly writing on his own and editing proletarian magazines, including Prolit and Di Royte Velt. Gildin focused on short forms like verses and novels. Gildin was with the proletarian movement with all his soul and it raised criticism from fellow authors: writer Perets Markish (1895-1952) called Gildin a "proletarian parasite". Gilden became disillusioned in the party and in 1934 published a story Mendl Graf criticising the leading role of the party in the contemporary cultural process. It is not a surprise that in a few years Gildin fell victim to the red terror. Arrested in 1937, he died in GULAG in mid-1940'ies. His arrest is a possible explanation why this book is not found in the libraries and is surprisingly rare despite the large run: following his imprisonment, some or all Gildin's editions were banned. Kukurudza is a novel depicting Bolshevik heroes of the Civil War. On p. 9 kukurudza [i.e. corn] is jokingly introduced through the eyes of a soldier who thinks that it's. an enemy, rustling in the dark. The story revolves around a red army commander Yankel Shulman who meets the legendary Ukrainian revolutionary Nestor Makhno. Shulman, confronted by Makhno ideals, faces a moral dilemma of which side to choose. And chooses the same side that Gildin chooses himself: supporting Bolsheviks. Yefraim Raitsyn (1903-1969) Was a prolific Zhytomyr-based translator and author active in the first half of the XXth century. Raitsyn translated most of Hil'din's works in Ukrainian, besides that, he contributed to translations of a number of Yiddish classics, from Leiba Kvitko to Sholom-Aleikhem. As an experienced writer with several short stories and plays under his belt, Raitsyn is praised by modern scholars for accurate translations. His high translating standards were caused not only by his Yiddish knowledge, but also by a deep understanding of the traditions, culture and history of local Ukranian Jewish people. (see: Frenkel, A. V zashchytu Sholom-Aleikhema // Narod Knyhy v myre knyh. 2019. â 142. S. 7-15). Mentioned in Evrei v Ukrainy, vol 2, item #4380. Past owner of the book, Sergei Haponiuk, was a school teacher in Proskurov (Khmelnitsky), a large city situated in Podolia region. Not in WorldCat. KVK fifinds only 1 copy, at the Russian State Library.
Rubinshtein, Oleksander
44, [4] pp. 23 x 14 cm. Original publisher's illustrated wrappers. In Ukrainian. One of 10 000 copies. Two-colour illustrated wrapper, designed by an anonymous artist. Depicting early and modern farming methods. Good condition. Minor cover soiling. Light damp stain to the bottom of the brochure. Creases of p. 37-44. Back of the title and p. 33 shows the Derzhavna Publichna Biblioteka URSR stamp with blank inventory number - the book was discarded before entering the library system during Soviet times. Oleksander L'vovych Rubinshtein (1885 - ?) was an Odesa-based Ukrainian and later Soviet journalist and screenwriter of at least 5 films, active also as lecturer and educator. Rubinshtein's only mention is in: Scenaristy` sovetskogo xudozhestvennogo kino. 1917-1967: Spravochnik (Moskva: Gosfil`mofond SSSR, 1972; p. 312). The book is one of Rubinshtein's educational works: with a considerably large run, lots of illustrations and easy text, its aim was to tell a condensed story of the technical development in farming. It follows the agricultural methods from the early humans era to the 1920's - an era of automatisation, mechanics and machines. A stark emphasis on Soviet and American tractors helps the author to note the vast possibilities of a broader village mechanisation. The book is nonpolitical in its nature but praises the Soviet politics of rural industrialisation and applying knowledge and insights of educated specialists to receive a larger amount of crops. The appearance of the first tractor in Ukraine is one of the central themes in the classic 1930 Zemlia by A. Dovzhenko (1894-1956). Just in 7 years from the publication of the book, Ukraine was crushed by Holodomor, a famine formed by a mix of factors, one of which being the poor Soviet agricultural management. The Holodomor resulted in the deaths of several millions of Ukrainians and is considered a national tragedy nowadays. The library stamp identifies the book as once belonging to the National Library of Ukraine, founded 1918. It was referred to as Derzhavna Publichna Biblioteka URSR in the period of 1948-1965. Rare. Not listed in WorldCat nor KVK. Not in the National library of Ukraine.
Bairon, George Gordon
Translated by Pan'ko Kulish. L'vov: Z drukarni Naukovoho Tovarystva imeny Shevchenka, 1905 (1906 on the front cover). Published as part of: Literaturno-naukova biblioteka vydaie ukrayns'ko-rus'ka vydavnycha spilka u L'vovi, series I, pt. 96. Publisher's wrappers. XIV, 178 p. 19.5 x 12.5 cm. Good condition. Loss of a corner of the back cover, loss of the fragment of the spine from the lower side. Traces of numbers in ink and owner's inscription on the title. Foxing of the covers. 1st Ukrainian edition of Byron's classic narrative poem. Translated by Panteleimon "Pan'ko" Kulish (1819 - 1897). With a preface by the prominent scientist and national Ukrainian revival movement leader, Ivan Franko. Franko cites Kulish' diaries to state that the translation was completed already in 1894. By 1894 Kulish was already a prominent Ukrainian author, as popular as Taras Schevchenko. Kulish invented a version of ABC for Ukrainian language, now known as kulishovka. He wrote numerous novels, poetry and short stories in Russian and Ukrainian. His Ukrainian books were mostly published before Ems Ukaz of 1876. Ukaz basically was a ban to print most of the books in Ukrainian as well a ban on some books already published, including some by Kulish. Though praising Ukraine and being a patriot, Kulish was pro-Russian and anti-Cossack. His position led to constant misunderstandings with the Ukrainian intellectuals and historians of his era. Aside from his own writing, Kulish managed to translate and even publish some of Shakespearean plays and served as the head translator of the Bible. Imitating the Pilgrimage' form, Kulish wrote a poetic dedication to Vasyl' Bilozers'kyi (brother of his wife) stating the love to Byron's intransigence as an inspiration for his work as a translator. He also compiled two prefaces to the reader of Mandrivka: one in Russian and one in Ukrainian. Kulish hoped for a publication either in the Russian-speaking Empire or Ukrainian-speaking Galicia: neither did happen during his lifetime, but both prefaces were included by Franko in this 1st edition (Devdiuk, I., Protsiv, H. Poema Dzh. Bayrona âPalomnytstvo Chayl'd Harol'da" u perekladi Panteleymona Kulisha. Volyn' filolohichna: tekst i kontekst, 6(2 ch.2), 2008). The task to translate and publish Childe Harold's Pilgrimage indeed was not a trivial one. Not only the publication was banned by censorship and not allowed till 1905, the year the Russian Empire saw liberalisation of the press. The question was whether the language itself is flexible enough to express a reliable, genuine and accurate version of a classic English poem or not. As stated by Franko, Kulish finds the answer in re-inventing, adjusting Ukrainian, or how he calls it staromovna language - contrasting to nova mova, or contemporary Russian. Kulish makes deliberate changes in Ukrainian to create a "proper" written language, one to be used specifically in his translations of the classics. Even with his own version of the language, he had to change the Spenserian stanza and write the whole Mandrivka in the blank verse. Ivan Franko notes that such an approach is an interesting experiment, but far away from the real Ukrainian language spoken by the folk. Nevertheless, this is a true first Ukrainian edition of the classic, with the new modern translation completed only in 2004. Very rare. Not i in KVK. WorldCat finds only a microfilmed version of the book in University of Wisconsin.
[Hrushevs'kyi, M., editor]
[4], 570, [2] pp. 24 x 16.5 cm. Contemporary quarter leather. Embossed gilt spine. In Ukrainian. Overall good condition. Damp stain to the upper part of the front and back boards. Wear of the spine. Owner's marks on the title: Iliaryi Karbulyts'kyi' owner's mark in ink and stamp on the title, also later illegible owner's mark in pen from 1961. Lacking list with pages 495-496. A couple of pencil and ink marks in text. Margin tear to p. 341. Vistnyk first appeared as a Galician monthly, printed in Lviv, in 1898. Aimed at intellectuals of the era, it formed the minds of the first broad generation of Ukrainophiles, an opposition to Mosvophiles. Providing more serious than a daily agenda of the newspapers, revue-like studies, Vistnyk proved itself as a basis to form the core of Ukrainian national self-identification. Est. run was ca. 1000 copies. This volume marks a very important change, the beginning of what is recognised as the second phase of Vistnyk existence. As stated in the appeal to the readers, this is the first volume to be printed and distributed not only in the Western, but also in Russian, Eastern Ukraine. This change was possible due to the fall of the Russian censorship and thus an opportunity to access a broader reader's base. A louder voice was welcomed by the nacio-centric will of the editorial staff that and by the readers who were deeply moved by the idea to unite ethnic Ukrainian lands. The edition was so important that the publishers of similar Nova hromada (issued during 1906) revue agreed to close the magazine just to not create unneeded competition for Vistnyk. Kyiv era of Vistnyk continued till 1914 when the imperial reaction banned the distribution of the publication. Although early issues were compiled and edited by genius Ivan Franko (1856-1916), the key figure, who also was editor of this and subsequent issues, was Mykhailo Hrushevs'kyi (1866-1934). Hrushevs'kyi was probably the single most active and important figure of national Ukrainian revival of late 19th -early 20th century period. As a scientist, he is known for his monumental Istoriia Ukrainy-Rusy [i.e. History of Ukraine-Rus'] in 10 vols., a study where for the first time from a historical, factual point of view the difference between Russia and Ukraine as countries was shown. As a politician, his impeccable reputation brought him to become the 1st head of parliament of the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic. Hrushevs'kyi led the creation of the first Ukrainian constitution. In the Vistnyk publications Hrushevs'kyi mostly refrained from political debates and never sided with any party but stayed loyal to the idea of saving national identity. The issue is divided into three parts: poetry, prose, literature & science. Poetry is further divided into Ukrainian where authors like Mykhailo Staryts'kyi (1840-1904), Mykola Cherniavs'kyi (1868-1938), Pylyp Kapel'horods'kyi (1882-1938) can be found. Among foreign poetry, a small selection of Shakesperian sonnets translated by Ivan Franko himself can be found. Some researchers state that Franko knew as much as 14 languages and of course he was translating most Western European authors directly from the original text. Franko placed Shakespeare above most of the authors he translated and thought that classic translations are a challenge for the Ukrainian language itself. Franko studied Shakespeare as closely as he studied T. Shevchenko. He translated The Merchant of Venice, at least 12 sonnets and did a work to revise and publish a number of earlier translations made by P. Kulish (1819-1897). This is one of three known lifetime publications of Shakespearian sonnets translated by Franko. Pp. 116-117 feature: XXIX "When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes.", XXX "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought." and XLVI "Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war." Franko changes iambic pentameter to a 11-13 syllable verse but manages to save the structure of 14 lines with three quatrains and a couplet. Franko also sometimes changes the rhyming scheme, for example for the sonnet XXIX he uses abab cddc efef gg instead of the original abab cdcd efef gg. Franko's translations of sonnets were first lyrical translations of Shakespeare in Ukrainian ever and this volume features the first appearance in print of those three translations. Prosaic works are also divided into original Ukrainian texts and translated ones. While translations are of minor importance and can be noted only as exercises in flexibility of the Ukrainian language, original texts show an existing diversity of literary genres. A tale by future Ukrainian prime minister Volodymyr Vynnychenko (1880-1951), a romanticist love story by Denys Lukiyanovych (1873-1965) are published side by side with some village memoirs. Three short stories, including a realistic one by Danylo Kharoviuk (1883-1916), are marked as written in Ukrainian dialects. Both poetic and prosaic sections feature women writers like Khrystyna Alchevs'ka (1882-1931), Nadiia Kybal'chych (1878-1914), Marusia Volevachivna and M. Symonivna. The third part, on science and literature, consist mainly of articles by Mykhailo Hrushevs'kyi and Ivan Franko themselves. Those articles are biographies, notes on Ukrainica in general, something that can be described as political editorials and language-centred articles. As by 1907 the majority of strictly scientific articles was published in Naukovoe tovarystvo ym. Shevchenka separate editions, this third part of Vistnyk should be addressed as journalistics. Hrushevs'kyi as a journalist publishes here 3 of his several dozen articles from the Na ukrains'ki temy series: a collection of reflections on Ukrainian national identity. Mykhailo Lozyns'kyi (1880-1937) and Fedir Matushevs'kyy (1869-1919) present political analysis: overview of social and political events on Western Ukraine and review of current Russian news respectively. Important is Ivan Franko's Svoboda y avtonomiia [i.e. Freedom and Autonomy] essay
150, [2] pp. 18 x 12,5 cm. One of 2000 copies. Book â18/2 in the Siaivo series. Contemporary owner's cloth with art nouveau style endpapers. Good to fair condition. Foxing and minor wear to the cloth. Cracks and partial detachments along the inner hinges. Slight damage with 1 cm paper loss across the bottom margins of p. 147-150 and the back cover. Both back and front original publisher's covers are preserved. Halyna Zhurba - pseudonym of Helena Dombrovs'ka (1889-1979). Zhurba was a villageborn Ukrainian writer, one of few early Ukrainian women prose writers. Zhurba's debut short stories collection was published in 1908 with the help of her future husband, editor Antin Chekmanovs'kyi (1890-1945). After the World War, Zhurba moved to Lviv, continuing her literary work. Zhurba managed to receive a number of awards before moving to the Western world on the brink of WWII and starting what is considered her second artistic, so-called "emigrant period". While in emigration, Zhurba switched to a longer but no less dramatic form of longer novels and left an interesting memoir on her pre-WW Ukrainian life. Zhurba was among the most noticeable emigrant authors surely the single most important woman writer of the Ukrainian emigrant community. Zhurba, raised in a peculiar blend of Polish, Ukrainian and Russian culture, was more Westerninclined and thus quickly found common ground with growing Ukrainian culture in Kyiv, attending early Muzahet meetings. She met and established friendship with the editors of Ukrains'ka khata, a monthly literary and art magazine promoting modernism among city intellectuals. Her novel Koniaka, first published 1912, follows a story of struggles of hard-working Ivan and his companion, horse Lysa. Intelligent and impressionistic, deep and psychological, the story is much more than a simple cry for the suffering of the Ukrainian lower working class: a lyrical and emotional study. Author's pseudonym mirrors her artistic intonation as Zhurba means "grief" or "sorrow" in Ukrainian. According to the author's memoir, the story was banned by Russian censorship on the basis of the revolutionary themes. All issues of Ukrains'ka khata with Zhurba's novel were confiscated and the editor was under arrest for several months. Koniaka's second appearance in print is within the present Pokhid zhyttia collection. The book includes 11 short stories: Nad skyboiu [Above the land], Smerk [Spruce], Zhuravli [Cranes], V iasnyi den' [On a clear day], Solov'i [Nightingales], Chereshni [Cherries], Sviato [Holiday], Koniaka [Horse], Histeriia [Hysteria], Pokhid zhyttia [March of Life], Pisnia na odnii struni [Song played on one string]. The idea behind the collection was to gather all novels published in Ukrains'ka khata during 1910-1913, but for Pisnia na odnii struni this is the first appearance in print. The publisher Siaivo [The Shining], responsible for the book, was established in 1913 as a Kyiv -based publisher around a pioneer Siaivo literary-centric magazine, one of the first of its kind in Ukraine. Modern Ukrainian literary critic Valeryi Shevchuk notes in his 1990 article on this collection : "The book was a significant phenomenon in Ukrainian prose of the time. It is accurate, plastic, refined, I would say, virtuoso prose - one of the best books of the period of the revolution and civil war" (Shevchuk V. Pokhid zhyttia Halyny Zhurby// Ukrains'ka mova i literatura v shkoli. â 5 for 1990). Today Zhurba is a classic, included in the Ukrainian school programs. Natsional'na bibliohrafiia Ukrainy, vol III., #3442. Rare. WorldCat lists o only 1 copy - in University of Alberta. Not in KVK. According to the aforementioned bibliography, the book is present in 7 Ukrainian libraries, including the National Library of Ukraine.
Ðемко. Ð"аРеÑа на ÑÐ ÑÑÑ£, наблРРенном Ро лемкоРÑкоРо РоРоÑа. [i.e. Lemko. The newspaper in language, close to Lemko tongue] 6 issues. P.11,39,41,42,43,44 for 1912. Ðемко. СаÑÐ Ñа, ÑмоÑ, РабаРа. [i.e Lemko. Satire, humor and entertainment]. 7 issues. P.11,40,39,41,42,43,44 for 1912. Overall 13 issues. Nowy SÄ cz: v pechiatne I.Yakubovskogo, 1912. 29,5x21,5 cm. Printed on a very fragile paper, the newspaper has some tears, but not losses to the text. The most affected by tears issues is p.39 (1912). Private stamps of Alexei Korba on some of the issues. Alexey A. Korba (1887-1969), who has lived for 40 years in Yonkers, New York. The first periodical, printed for Lemkos in Lemko region and around the world, in the Lemko language in Cyrillic script. Edited by Ilya Hoiniak. Lemkos are the ethnic group, historically divided between the border regions of Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Ukraine itself categorizes Lemkos as subdivided ethnic group of Ukrainians and not as a separate ethnicity, though such information is reflected mostly by Lemkos self-identification within Ukraine. In the Polish Census of 2011, 11,000 people declared Lemko nationality, of whom 6,000 declared only Lemko nationality, 4,000 declared double national identity - Lemko-Polish, and 1,000 declared Lemko identity together with a non-Polish identity. Because of the geographical location of Lemko Region, it played an important role in many different military conflicts in XXth century, as well as in re-drawing the borders. This periodical gives us an insight into the pre-WWI atmosphere in the community. The advertisements include the information about Lemko credit uniton ('Ours for ours!'), the insurers and lawyers for the community, the advertisement for the postcards and the art by the editor-in-chief of the periodical, Ilya Hoiniak. Many business addresses are given in Lviv. The ties with USA were strong at the time - in every issue the list of US donors were printed with thanks - and reports of the life of diaspora in America have been regularly printed. Among some of the news, is the establishment of Lemko brotherhood 'Druzhestvo' in Yonkers, NY; the finding of the Lemko library in Pittsburgh; the news on the forming of balalayka orchestra with Lemko members in it. The letters from the subscribers reveal strong anti-Ukrainan and anti-Polish sentiments among the readers as well as antisemitic passages. The humorous supplement includes the political caricatures, the riddles, the anecdotes and a short story. All in all, a valuable document for understanding of Lemko culture around the time.
A manuscript copy from the original. [Ukraine], 1906. 16 p. 21x13 cm. Fine condition. This manuscript copy was made from the author's manuscript in 1906, when the poem was still unpublished, and the text was preparing for the publication. The original of the poem was known to be kept by A. Korsun, the editor of the almanac 'Snop', however it was never published at the time of creation (1840s). In 1861 the celebrated Ukrainian educator Panteleimon Kulish (1819-1897) has printed another version of this poem in his Ukrainian language periodical 'Osnova', although claiming he didn't see the original and asked Korsun to bring him the cope, however that never happened. The version printed in 'Osnova' was not authorized as it turned out later consisted only part 1 of the poem. The first edition of the text version of the poem came out in 1914 in Saint-Petersburg, together with 'Kobzar'. It became possible after the son of A.A. Korsun made the copy of the manuscript and gave it to the editors. This copy is likely to be created by Korsun himself. Together with the manuscript the article is enclosed by Leonid Biletsky (1882-1955), Ukrainian pedagog and literature historian, one of the founders of the history of Ukrainian drama. The article is dedicated to the story of publication of 'Maryana Chernitsa', the differences in text and literary analysis. The 22 page article is an extract of the magazine from the 1930s. The article begins with the following statement: 'The text of 'Maryana Chernitsa' suffered so much in its life, what is very characteristic with the works on our poet's works, but also it happened because it was placed in the wrong hands, that disliked Ukrainian poetry'. The poem itself is now regarded as a key verse piece in Ukrainian literature. The text written by the most important poet of Ukraine Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) in 1841 in Saint-Petersburg tells the story of unhappy love of the rich girl and an orphan. Later Maryana refused to marry the rich groom and decided to become a nun. The story has been traditionally used as an example of female strength in Ukrainian cultural tradition.
42 pp. 17,5 x 12 cm. Contemporary cardboard covers. First edition. In Ukrainian, but printed using pre-1917 Russian orthography. Overall good condition. Front and back cover attached to the cardboard presumably crafted by the library. Soiled boards, damp stains. Rubber stamps and ink marks on front and back cover & title, some illegible. Numerical stamp and ink marks on p. 42. One of the stamps visible on the front board and title is of Biblioteka 1-oi Ukrains'koi kooperatyvnoi Prosvity Tarasa Shevchenka. Prosvita, est. 1868, was a Galician Ukrainophilic organisation that focused on enlightenment, promotion of Ukrainian literacy and spreading yet unpopular ideas of an independent nation-centric Ukrainian state. It opposed both Russophiles and Westerners and played an important role in providing a stream of Ukrainian-language books during the late 19th century. Tovarystvo managed to print thousands of titles, was responsible for setting up schools and libraries all around the modern Ukraine territories. M. Zagirnya (pseud. Hrinchenko Mariia, 1863-1928) was one of the few prominent Ukrainian women intellectuals of the XIXth century. Poet, writer and translator, editor of early Ukrainian-Russian vocabularies: Hrinchenko managed to combine her literacy, education, and husband's publishing facilities in an aim to help the poor peasantry. Hrinchenko translated into Ukrainian Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Leo Tolstoy novels. She also made a number of first ever educational pamphlets in Ukrainian to appear in print, like the present brochure. Her husband, writer Borys Hrinchenko (1863-1910), the publisher of this book, was a prominent figure forming the first wave of Ukrainian cultural revival. As a writer, editor, linguist, author of the first scholarly Ukrainian vocabulary and Prosvita co-founder, Hrinchenko combined his nationalist stance with a dedicated educational approach. Since the 1876 Ems Ukaz, the Russian Empire tried to postpone the development of Ukrainian culture aggressively. Throughout all Eastern Ukrainian territories primary education in Ukrainian was banned, periodicals were banned too. Only wellknown fiction translations or educational texts were allowed by censors. In the wake of the same Ukaz, Strashnyj Vorog is in Ukrainian - but typed using pre-1917 Cyrillic orthography. The thing is, Ukrainian was regarded as some sort of "dirty" Russian, one of peasants, i.e. not a language that deserved its own ABC. The book received the censor approval in Odesa on 27th of July of 1899 and was printed in Chernigov only in 1900: it took a long time to publish even a totally harmless brochure. Alcohol was a real problem for the peasants and it affected their productivity directly. It was a subject of ongoing jokes in higher classes of the society and a subject of deep sorrow among peasants. It led to violence, parasitism and theft. Drunken peasants, drunken factory workers were kind of a habitual landscape addition, often portrayed by classics acquainted with the rural life - from Pushkin to Bunin. In all eight chapters of the book Hrinchenko is speaking directly to the reader. She describes how vodka was invented, why people are drinking it, how harmful drinking is for the brain, body and wallet - and, finally, gives some advice on what to do, describing early anti-alcoholic societies in the Western Europe. She uses very convincing examples understandable even by children. As such, Hrinchenko describes the toxicity of alcohol applied to the skin, provides examples of intergenerational drinking, describes why cheap hooch is dangerous and so on. Her tone is very different from haughty sermons or harsh country doctor's advice. Hrinchenko refrains completely from any imperialistic ideas of state benefits of sobriety, focusing on personal and family values. Author's tone is confidential and warm, full of sorrow and compassion towards the drunkyards. According to a recent study of early Ukrainian antialcoholic editions (Voloshenko, V. Kul'turne Pole Ukrainomovnykh Antyalkohol'nykh Vydan' "Dlia Narodu" Zlamu XIX-XX st. Ukrains'kyi selianyn, 2021. #25, p. 11-19), this brochure, although not the first Ukrainian-language thematic publication, was among the most popular ones. Hrinchenko herself used a lot of reference and studies in preparation of the text, there is no terminology nor apparatus at all. Hrinchenko deliberately kept the text simple. And it paid off. The book was asked in libraries and noted in many lists as the most engaging anti-alcoholic publication in Ukrainian. Such Ukrainian books even on the most prosaic topics were cherished, read in the library, read aloud for groups - while Russian books were lying on shelves or used as a source of wrapping paper for groceries. As one anonymous educated Ukrainian peasant remembers: "A book in Ukrainian is being read eagerly up to learning it by heart. Everyone hears it during the sermons and knows from other different books that vodka is harmful. But almost every villager says that it's all made up. However this new book Strashnyj Vorog (about vodka) caught the attention of even the heavy drinkers - and they do believe the words written in the brochure" (Kievskaya starina, #6 for 1905, p. 300-301). Drinking was a negative social factor well into the later rapid industrialization of Ukraine. So the publishing of anti-alcoholic pamphlets and books for self-education continued even at a wider scale. According to a report Problemy Pyiatstva ta Alkoholizmu v Radians'kii Ukraini 1920-kh Rokiv ta Sproby ikh Podolannia (na Prykladi Kharkova) by H. Demochko (Gileia: naukovyi visnyk. Zbirnyk naukovykh prats'. Kyiv, 2013. - #75(8)), as much as 67% (sic!) workers were spending over a half of their earnings on alcohol. The back cover provides 45 (a part of the list, as only text on verso is visible) books printed by Grinchenko. No. 45 is the present book and it is priced at only 6 kopecks: a bargain compared to the price of a bottl
92 pp., ads. 20 x 14 cm. Original printed publisher's covers with letterpress design. One of 1100 copies. Small defects to the upper spine, tear and stains to the first two pages, otherwise good. Uzhhorod, a millennial-old city, now situated in Ukraine right at the state border with Slovakia. At the time when this magazine was printed, Uzhhorod was not a Ukrainian nor a Russian territory. The political events of Nazi Chezhoslovakia occupation turned out in such a way that first Uzhhorod and then the whole Podkarpatská rus became a part of short-lived Hungarian Kingdom (Magyar Királyság) - and stayed so till the Soviets came in 1944. Back then, Uzhhorod was a city densely populated by the ethnical minority of Rusyns. Rusyns living in Zakorpattia for decades were witnessing their territories being divided between bigger countries. Mid-20th century was the period of political turmoil and short independence, both contributing to strong urge of national self identification. Nowadays Rusyn folk is mostly recognized as a part of Ukrainian ethnicity with a portion of people still using its unique Rusyn language. Starting mid-1930s Uzhhorod Rusyns were literally torn between three main cultural trends: ukrainophilic, rusinophilic and russophilic ones. All three had their political views, representatives and, most importantly, their own press. The latter, Russian-oriented trend was dominant in the early 1940s, with many editions printed in Russian. The trend also brought to life this Twinkles almanac. The texts are all typed according to the unique Zeitgeist symbol of the russophile era in the region: using pre-1917 orthography Russian. Only one poem in the almanac (Hutsulskaya kolyadka) in Ukrainian, but the spelling is also identical with the pre-revolutionary Cyrillic letters. The culture of Zakorpattia was thriving, there were numerous russophilic editions up to the year 1944. Those included newspapers, magazines and almanacs like this one: 12 (1940), Budet den', Shagi, Nakanune (all - 1941). Still, Uzhhorod and neighbouring territories were under wartime regime. And it is no surprise that the people of art were struggling to find work. To be published at least somewhere, they had to contribute to a Red Cross sponsored edition like this one. The contents of the magazine were curated by O. Losievskaya. Not an editorial manager, Losievskaya was a Red Cross nurse as early as 1919, known for self-sacrificing work. Losievskaya, possibly with the help of more skilled authors among the published ones, compiled the magazine with an emphasis on art. Here we see poetry - including translations, short fiction, in-depth articles on local artists and theatre. The magazine also includes the science section, world politics, humor, crosswords, fashion for women and fun pages for children. Among authors, one can find prominent Rusyn / Ukrainian minority cultural figures of the era: priest and teacher Yuliy Gadzhega (1876 - 1947, pseud. Yuliy Rusak), painter and art critic Fyodor Manaylo (1910 - 1978), linguist and poet Emil Baletskiy (1919 - 1981). Surprisingly, WWII smoothed out the cultural conflicts between russo-, ukraino- and rusinophilic elites. Thus, the edition houses articles, poems of people who were conceptual enemies just a couple of years before (see M. Kapral. Neizvestnyiy Emil Baletskiy: po materialam Podkarpatskoy peridiki 1939-1943 gg. In: Vestnik filiala Instituta russkogo yazika im. A. S. Pushkina. Budapest, 2001) "Inter arma silent Musae" (when arms speak, muses are silent) states one of the authors sorrowfully. This edition, however, shows that muses of Rusyns, Ukrainians were never silent even amid the WWII war rattles - and they sang their songs. Rare. Not in WorldCat, not in KVK. Not in National Library of Ukraine.
25 pp. 21x14,5 cm. Slightly chipped in the right top corner of the block. No wrapper or binding as issued. Rust on staples, foxing throughout. Contemporary pencil marks on the rear wrapper. First and only edition. In Crimean Tartar. In Arabic script. The extraordinary survival of its time, the rules and regulations of the first independent Muslim democratic parliament in the world - The Crimean People's Democratic Republic (Qırım Halq Cumhuriyeti, ( ÙتÙرÙÙÙ Ø ÙÙØ® Ù ÙرÙ). The rulebook consisted of XI chapters, divided in sub-divisions. It is one of the few editions, printed by the short-lived Republic, which existed on the Crimean peninsula from November 1917 to January 1918. It was one of the self-proclaimed independent states that emerged in different parts of Russian Empire after the October revolution of 1917. The Crimean People's Republic was declared by the initiative of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatars, which stipulated the equality of all ethnicities within the peninsula. Crimean Tatars were the dominant political and cultural force on the peninsula. Noman Çelebicihan was chosen as the first President of the nascent Republic. The Qurultay (Parliament) consisted of 76 delegates, four of whom were female (Åefiqa Gaspıralı, Anife Bоdaninskaya, Ilhan Tohtar, Hatice Avcı). The delegates were chosen from five counties: Yalta (24), Akmescit (19), Kefe (16), Kezlev (11), and Orkapy (6). Asan Sabri Ayvazov, longtime Crimean independence leader, journalist, and educator, was elected Chairman of the Qurultay. The constitution was introduced (Basic Laws) in December of 1917. The Crimean government relied on the armed forces of the "Crimean Revolutionary Headquarters", formed in November 1917 by the Musiysk Executive Committee. Other peoples of the multinational Crimea also expressed a desire to form Crimean military forces. From the very beginning of the process of creating Tatar national units, the Ukrainian Regiment named after Hetman Doroshenko entered into friendly relations with the Simferopol Muslim Soldiers' Committee. A proposal was received from the Greeks and Russians to form the 3rd Crimean Cavalry Regiment from natives of the Crimea of all nationalities, not only Tatars. Already in January 1918, a division of this regiment was created. At the same time in Romania a regiment under the command of Matvei Sulkevich (1865-1920) which was formed mostly of Crimean tartars and Azerbaijanis, were trying to relocate itself to Crimea to help the new-born republic, but alas was only able to do it by April 1918, when the republic seized to exist, and Bakhchisaray and Simferopol were captured by the Red Army, republic was dismissed and a wave of repressions have followed.
183 pp. 19 x 12.5 cm. One of 1500 copies. In Polish. With publisher's cardboard cover illustrated in black and red. Title and imprint also in Ukrainian on the back cover. Overall in good condition. Minor wear to the cardboard cover, dents. Numbers in ink on front & back cover, Polish library stamps on title, p. 17, p. 182, library was active in 1934 but dissolved during the next few years. The publisher responsible for printing this book was Ukrderzhnatsmenvidav or State publishing house of the national minorities of Ukrainian SSR. Ukrderzhnatsmenvidav was an important piece of puzzle in early Soviet pan-republican indigenization program of 1920s and early 1930s. Active from 1926, Ukrderzhnatsmenvidav issued mostly books and periodicals in Yiddish, but also German, Greek, Polish, Czech, Estonian. Ukrderzhnatsmenvidav, though very active and acclaimed by the ethnical minorities, was shaken during the great terror years and its activities basically came to an end in 1939. But the book is not only in Polish: the book comes from a unique place, tightly-knit with Ukrainian Polish minority history. It bears stamps of the only state-supported Ukrainian Polish library - Centralna Polska Bibljoteka Panstwowa na Ukranie. The library was a short-lived Kyiv organization active in Soviet Ukraine from 1925 to 1937. Initially, the library was another piece of the puzzle of the Bolshevik effort to support ethnical & cultural minorities. As the ethnocentric policies of country organization began to disappoint the Soviet leaders, regional reorganization came in 1931. With fabricated anti-Polish crime cases opened in 1934, repressions rose and purges came. Some CPBPU employees were prosecuted, and the library was soon closed. Some books were transitioned to another libraries, some were lost. Throughout its activity years, CPBPU gathered available Polish books, carried out bibliographical studies on Polish literature published in Soviet state, provided mobile reading houses, lectures and education in native language for Poles in Kyiv (counting 13 000 people) and beyond. During its peak years, the library employed seven people, housed close to 50 000 books and served 1912 readers together with 500 collective subscribers, i.e. almost every fifth Kyiv Pole was a user of the library (see: Zhukovs'kyi, O. I. Rol' Tsentral'noi pol's'koi derzhavnoi biblioteky u rozvytku pol's'koi natsional'noi kul'tury na pravoberezhnii Ukraini u 20-ti roky XX st. In: Ukrains'ka polonistyka, 2004). Over half of the readers were students of four Kyiv Polish schools and colleges, all situated in the same building with the library. Young readers loved M. Gorky and J. London translations. So it's no surprise to see a translated Japanese proletarian novel coming from within CPBPU storage. Sunao (Naoshi) Tokunaga (1899 - 1958) was a Japanese publisher's house press worker from as early as 12 years old. He was also an avid union member and the first noticeable proletarian writer in Japan. A Street without the sunlight is Tokunaga's most known novel, first published in 1929. The book was a fiction based on 1926 Kyodo Printing strike, told from the worker's union perspective. Although the original strike turned unfavorable for the union and Tokunaga lost his job, those radical events provided a lot of inspiration to the author. The book was a hit, sold 40 000 copies and boosted Tokunaga into relative wealth. As a writer coming from a straightforwardly proletarian background, he was favored by the Soviet government, which resulted in numerous translations of his works into languages of the USSR ethnicities and even an official visit of fame to Moscow. According to a comparable preface text, this translation was made from 1932 Russian 1st edition of Tokunaga's novel. Very rare. Not in WorldCat. Not in KVK.
N2. Odesa: vydannia kooperatyvnoho t-va "Ukrains'ka knyzhka", 1919. 22 p. 17.5 x 11 cm. Publisher's printed wrappers. Owner's mark in ink on front cover, title and back cover. Partial detachment around the staple, trace of a round stamp and minor scuffs at the bottom of the front cover. Damp spot through first 9 pages and front & back cover. Otherwise good. With 7 fairytales including classic Korzhyk (Kolobok). In 2011 in an exchange of opinions, both Russia and Ukraine claimed Kolobok as their national classic: the question about whom belongs the Kolobok now is still open. Other fairytales in the book are animalisticcentered. This is something quite different from classic Russian fables where peasants, royalty, court and mystic creatures are more often in the center of the story than animals. The demand for children's literature in the independent Ukraine was huge: the national revival period asked for lots of books in Ukrainian. Despite the turmoil with the three-year-long independent Ukrainian People's Republic, by 1919 there were ca. 120 publishers active in the country and over 1000 books in Ukrainian published yearly (against 386 in Russian in 1918). The publisher of the book is most probably kooperativnoe tovaristvo "Ukrains'ka knyzhka". A company with headquarters in Lviv, it was active during 1917-1922. Founded by Antin Krushel'nyts'kyi (1878 - 1937) - editor, publisher, teacher, short-term minister of education - later, as many Ukrainian officials, executed by Bolsheviks. "Ukrains'ka knyzhka" was active in a number of cities, printing literature for primary schools and children. Those young Ukrainians were at last allowed to hear and learn their native language freely, after decades of bans and prohibitions. Books printed by "Ukrains'ka knyzhka" include both Ukrainian and translated Russian fairytales, encyclopedias, excerpts from classics like T. Shevchenko and M. Kotsiubynsky as well as Ukrainian ABCs. (see: Kolektsiia "Ukrains'ka dytiacha knyha 1885-1923 rr." Pedahohichnoho muzeiu Ukrainy. Katalohputivnyk. Kyiv, 2015). Among other editions of this publisher, Ukrains'ki kazky is mentioned in: Bibliohrafichnyy pokazhchyk knyzhkovykh, periodychnykh i prodovzhuvanykh vydan' 1919-1920 rr., vidsutnikh u fondi derzhavnoho arkhivu druku (no. 490). Rare. N Not in WorldCat. Not in KVK. Not in National Library of Ukraine.
Album with Thirty One Early Original Albumen Photographs. [1900s]. 23,5x17,5 cm. Album has half-faded gilt lettering on the front cover and red edges. Captions under the photos in French. In very good condition. The album is depicturing the work of the newly built Toretsk Steel and Mechanical Plant in the town of Druzhkovka (Donbass region of Ukraine), likely complied by one of the Belgian engineers, that were commissioned to build and then organize the work on the factory, that was found in 1898. The plant manufactured equipment for railways: turnouts, springs, leaf springs, etc. In album we can see it at full capacity. Also included are the images of the town itself, the town dwellers and the images of the engineer himself. Toretsk Steel and Mechanical Plant was one of the first factories in the region, it long preceded the Soviet industrialization efforts in Donbass. The album is an important evidence of the peaceful life of Druzhkovka before WWI - after the October revolution of 1917, the factories in the area were looted and half-destroyed. In early Soviet years a new conglomerate factory was created: Druzhkovsk Machine-Building Plant and the Toretsk Steel and Mechanical Plant, the Toretsky Steel and Mechanical Plant. It became one of the important industry actors of the region.
15 pp. 16 x 12.5 cm. Issued without title page. Publisher's covers. Good condition. Spot to the front cover. Minor tears along extremities including the spine, two 0.5 cm tears to the bottom of brochure w/o paper loss. Rust on staples. A collection of two articles by one of the Ukrainian independence movement leaders, Dmytro Doroshenko (1882 - 1951). Two articles included in the brochure are "How free Ukrainian Cossacks were turned into slaves" and "On autonomy". The first one is a historical essay telling the story of Ukrainian struggles for independence of the XVIIth and the XVIIIth century. The second one lists historical, territorial, cultural differences between Ukrainians and Moscouvites, concluding that Ukraine should be autonomous and shall be governed by a parliament. The importance of those short texts shall be understood if taken within the time context. 1905 saw the fall of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II and almost simultaneously, the fall of tsarist censorship. For the first time after Ems Ukaz of 1876, the Ukrainian press advanced to enjoy newly acquired freedom. All this contributed to a vast amount of talks and press publications on the biggest dream of the Ukrainians: a free, independent country where one can freely speak its own language and cherish its traditions. In the period of 1906-1908, the first years of relative freedom of speech, young Doroshenko wrote a number of articles envisioning a free, fair country based on the principles won by Ukrainians centuries ago: "We, Ukrainians, shall not wait a time when someone will give us it [autonomy], we shall take it with out own powerful hands". And in just a few years Doroshenko started to build exactly what he wrote about. Young historian entered politics and went on to become the Governor of Chernigov province and minister of foreign affairs of the newly established Ukrainian Hetmanate. Later, as Hetmanate fell, Doroshenko emigrated and concentrated on historical and cultural studies. The brochure was issued anonymously which was not common for any of Doroshenko's publications. This anonymity was a matter of prudence in the times when the freedom of speech was granted on paper but not always in real life. These articles were first published in Khliborob (first politically oriented Ukrainian newspaper in the Russian Empire, printed in Lubny) and Zaporizhzhia (also an early political periodical, printed in Ekaterinoslav / Dnipro) respectively. Remarkably, Zaporizhzhia was closed down after only one issue by the censors exactly because of the radical proindependence articles like Doroshenko's one. Preceding the article "On autonomy", one can find poetic lines by Yakym Samotnii (pseud. Yakim Ermolev) - "Don't you moan!", a versed appeal to the Ukrainian people not to whine, but to act on what's important for them. Rare. Not in WorldCat. Not in KVK.
87 pp., with A. Lincoln's portrait. 17,5 x 13 cm. Original illustrated wrappers. In Ukrainian. One of 4000 copies. Overall very good. Owner's inscription on the front cover and title, pasted down ex-libris of prof. A. Granovsky on the title. Owner's mark in pen on p. 6. Blagotvoritelnoe obschestvo izdaniya obschepoleznyih i deshevyih knig, known in Ukrainian as Blahodiine tovarystvo vydannia zahal'nokorysnykh i deshevykh knyh stands for Charitable Society for the Publication of Commonly Useful and Cheap Books. It was probably the single most important publisher of Ukrainian literature in the Russian Empire of its era. Active from 1898 to 1918, it was founded by the writer and philosopher Vladimir Lesevich (1837-1905) and general Mihail Fedorovskiy with an aim to print affordable, useful and popular books for the ordinary folks during the time when Ukrainian language was harshly oppressed. The thing is, since the 1876 Ems Ukaz, the Russian Empire tried to diminish the Ukrainian culture. Primary education in Ukrainian was banned, periodicals were banned and only well known fiction or "harmless" texts were allowed by censors. Because of the same Ukaz the book is in Ukrainian but typed using Cyrillic pre-1917 orthography intended for Russian: Ukrainian was regarded as some sort of "dirty" Russian, one of peasants, not as a language that deserved its own ABC. The back cover of the book provides 36 of the books published by the Society, including the present Oboronets. The list helps to understand the publisher's policy as well as to see what was allowed under Ems Ukaz. Most books are on different farming topics: those were censored by a different ministry and were easier to be published. The list also includes editions of fiction by prominent and allowed Ukrainian authors of the era like T. Schevchenko (1814-1861), G. Barvinok (1828-1911) and P. Kulish (1819-1897). The third part is where the proposed book belongs, educational material: biographies of people like Socrate, animal and child care guides. Among the books yet to be printed, biographic pieces on Columbus and George Washington are mentioned. It is known that some of the books had a circulation as wide as 25000 copies, but this Oboronets had a circulation of only 4000 (Demuz I. Knyzhkova produktsiia i tematychnyi repertuar «Blahodiinoho tovarystva z vydannia zahal'nokorysnykh i deshevykh knyh». Aktual'ni pytannia humanitarnykh nauk. 2016. Vyp. 16). Things turned to a brighter side for the Society months after this publication. Later in 1905 the censorship fell and the editors were able to print a variety of books, including ones on politics and national identification of Ukrainians. They also switched to an early version of Ukrainian ABC, kulishovka. The Society switched to publishing the textbooks in large numbers, but had to close down the activities shortly after the October revolution. In total, during the 20 years of its activities, the Society printed close to 1 mln copies of books in Ukrainian. This Oboronets was priced 10 kopecks - the price of a beer mug or 1 kg of flour of the era, thus being really affordable even for the poor. The author, M. Zagirnya (pseud. Hrinchenko Mariia, 1863-1928) was one of the few active Ukrainian women intellectuals of the XIXth century. She was a poet, writer and translator, editor of early Ukrainian-Russian vocabularies. Among others, Hrinchenko translated into Ukrainian classic English Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and some Russian authors like Tolstoy and Leskov. She wrote 5 out of 36 books listed on the back cover of the book proposed. The book itself is a collection of biographical stories about 16th President of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). It deliberately depicts Lincoln as a saviour of the oppressed, the slaves. The text is not a boring factual biography, but a series of friendly, fictionalised light essays skilfully made with the reader's level of understanding being kept in mind. Sometimes the author inserts educational paragraphs, like an explanation of what "political meetings" are, or a comparison of Russian and American realities. According to the archives of the National Library of Ukraine, there was an earlier and a smaller book by Hrinchenko on Lincoln, published by "Prosvita" in 1901 and a later one on the abolition of slavery in the US issued by the same publisher in 1907. Seems like Hrinchenko was deeply touched by Civil war events, probably thinking about the future freedoms for the Ukrainians. Past owner of the book, professor Alexander A. Granovsky (1887-1976) was an Ukrainian-American entomologist employed at the University of Minnesota. He led an active social life, protected Ukrainian heritage and helped 5000 Ukrainians from DP camps to settle in the US after WWII, becoming Oboronets pokryivdzhenyih himself. Very rare. Not in KVK. W WorldCat locates only a microfilmed version. A copy is present at the National Library of Ukraine.
16 pp. 20.5 x 14.5 cm. In the publisher's paper covers. Good to very good condition. Minor creases of the covers. Conjoining leaves with pages 7-10 partially detached from the staple. Owner's stamp "A. A. Granovsky" on the title page, later inscriptions "Donor", "Belgium" near the stamp. Previous owner of the book, professor Alexander A. Granovsky (1887-1976) was an Ukrainian-American entomologist employed at the University of Minnesota. He led an active social life, protected Ukrainian heritage and helped 5000 Ukrainians from DP camps to settle in the US after WWII. The Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) represented an important vector of Ukrainian search for self-identification during the 1st half of the XXth century, especially after the fall of the Russian Empire. The Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists was officially formed in Wien in 1929. OUN settled its basic policy as forming a united, independent Ukraine within its ethnic territories: "a policy of all-Ukrainian statehood". The leader was chosen: colonel Yevhen Konovalets (1891-1938). Many smaller nationalistic groups were included into OUN and both Eastern and Western Ukraine territories were represented in the grand meetings. OUN established Territorial Executives to embody its ideas. OUN had both illegal (mainly in Eastern Ukraine) and legal (mainly in Western Ukraine) periodicals. Those promoted nationalist ideas that became extremely popular with the youth. With time, OUN rapidly advanced towards radical methods of freeing those "ethnically Ukrainian" territories. It organised strikes, property seizures and a streak of terrorist attacks in Poland, some led by prominent OUN member Stepan Bandera (1909-1959). Fanatical youth was devoted to nationalistic ideas and OUN rapidly was gaining fame outside its circle of 20 000-something members. As an organisation, OUN was highly structured and organised via military-like subordination. And as with any structured organisation, differences in views led to a split. The assasination of Konovalets in 1938 showed a gap in understanding between the more centrist OUN leaders who lived abroad and the younger activists in Ukrainian territories, some of them being as far-right as the Nazis were. The latter formed their own OUN branch and the two factions started to lead its activities independently. Both were hostile towards each other. This brochure was published after the 3rd meeting of people who were following the initial OUN ideas, led by Konovalets. Since the IInd grand meeting that took place in Rome in 1939, this faction was led by Andrii Melnyk (1890-1964). And while the Bandera-led OUN faction was very active on the political field during 1940's and even tried an unsuccessful alliance with the German army in hopes to establish the independent country, the Melnyk faction suffered loss of influence. Some members were absorbed by more active Bendera groups while Melnyk himself lived in a concentration camp. It was only after WWII Melnyk-led faction became a noticeable power. It reviewed its program adapted at the IInd congress. Back in 1939, Melnyk was announced "Leader of the nation" and the organisation tended to look like a future personalistic regime. Now, to adapt to the post- Hitler world, Melnyk and his comrades decided to vote for a change. The program of change is expressed in the present brochure. The idea was to remove the ideology even further from what the Nazis showed to the world. The program is divided into VI parts. Those parts are: State, Armed forces, Spiritual and cultural life, Social politics, State economics and International policy. They are preceded by a list of nine maxims, all on the importance of nationalism and the future Ukrainian National Revolution as the key factor in forming the independent state. In this document, the State organisation maintains a more democratic approach compared to the 1930'ies: equality before the law (part I, article 14), independent court system (part I, article 13) and a national leader elected by the parliament (part I, article 9), religious freedom (part III, article 2). The Social politics part demonstrates Melnyk's ability to notice the historical changes and to decrease the supposed state participation in the regulation of daily life compared to the early versions of OUN programs: in the program of 1939, the Ukrainian state was even straightforwardly marked as "totalitarian". All those are major changes compared to the earlier version of the OUN programs. The program is also more specific and more detailed than the previous proclamations, but still the ideas of where and how the State should develop after the national revolution are not as vague as they were before. It was said that the Revolution will be completed in 3 stages: national liberation, consolidation of the state, further development (part II, article 2), but what is "development" was not very clear. As things turned out, this program didn't matter as OUN failed to become an integral a fortiori a leading part of modern society. OUN regarded itself as a social movement, not a party. But after WWII political life surged in the DP camps and emigrant community, so Melnyk-led faction evolved and became a political force, part of the so-called Ukrains'ka Natsional'na Rada, a Parliament of the government-in-exile. The fights continued to be mostly political. OUN was imposing nationalist ideas but with time those rose less and less interest. So when the Ukrains'ka Natsional'na Rada transferred its full powers to the Ukrainian government in 1992, right-wing nationalism was nothing more than a ghost from the past. WorldCat locates 11 copies of this edition: 6 copies at University of Toronto Library in Canada (possibly, same copy listed under different directories), 5 copies in the US: at Harvard, Yale, Columbia University, University of Minnesota, Stanford.
47, [1] pp. 16,5 cm x 13 cm. Bilingual catalogue in German and Ukrainian, title also in German. One of 2000 copies. Very good condition. Owner's inscription in pencil on the front cover. Some pencil underlinings on some pages. Publisher's cover features a simple drawing with the 1943 year underneath - signed "LB". No artist in the catalogue has such initials, thus the cover cannot be attributed. Spilka Pratsi Ukrains'kykh Obrazotvorchykh Mysttsiv u L'vovi [Labor Union of Ukrainian Visual Artists in Lviv] or SUOM was a short-lived union that witnessed how art can thrive under the most unfavourable circumstances. As many international and multicultural cities, the diverse artistic scenery of interwar Lviv enjoyed thriving life. A dozen artistic circles existed up to the 1930's. It was essentially demolished by the Soviets but some freedom re-emerged with German occupation starting in 1941. Shortly on the initiative of the civil people, a non-government agency Ukrainischer Hauptausschuss was formed. It was able to communicate with Nazi occupational government that was yet not as ideologically inclined as NKVD and allowed some freedom to the local art. Ukrainischer Hauptausschuss helped to fund and found SUOM as a reinvention of previous Asotsiatsiya nezalezhnykh ukrains'kykh mysttsiv. A number of already known local artists became the founders and union leaders: Mykhailo Osinchuk, Ivan Ivanets, Antin Maliutsa, Roman Turyn, Stepan Lutsyk, Volodymyr Balias, Mykhailo Dmytrenko. The group managed to attract sponsors, issued prizes and organised small manufactures for artists to earn at least some money through their profession. The exhibitions were held at modern Mitskevich str. in a building that has not survived. This fifth one was attended by over 3 000 visitors and praised by the critics as an event that totally achieved its aim to show the Ukrainian character in art. The curators note that besides the artists already known to the visitors, they present new painters from Kyiv and Kharkiv. The artists that have to be noted- both Galician and newcomers - are prominent Olena Kul'chyts'ka (1877-1967) who managed to seamlessly combine classic Russian painting school with Ukrainian themes, master of realism and historical portrait Osyp Kurylas (1870-1951), "Ukrainian van Gogh'', noted paysage author Mykola Nedilko (1902-1979), talented Mykhailo Moroz (1904-1992). According to the introductory note of the Kataloh, 99 artists with 407 works were exhibited. The catalogue features the name and city of origin of the artist followed by the artistic pieces provided for the exhibition. This catalogue shows the final episode of Spilka bloom, noting all its members. Also part of the exhibition formed art provided by people held in German Galician Ukrains'ka sluzhba bat'kivshchyni camps for the future Ostarbeiters. Headed first by Prof. Mykhailo Osinchuk (1890-1969), since 1942 by Ivan Ivanets (1893 - 1946). Osinchuk was a civil painter not involved in and fearing the repressions he left Galicia for the US in 1944. Ivanets was a military officer and never left his homeland. As an avid painter and photographer, Ivanets pioneered hobbyist artistic life in Ukrains'ki sichovi stril'tsi military group during 1910'ies and left an unsurpassed heritage of Ukrainian rifleman everyday life and fights, akin to Russian classic M. Lermontov. Ivanets provided 9 works for this exhibition (listed on p. 21). Quite probably, he was the sole editor and author of the initial Ukrainian text in the brochure. 3 years prior to this exhibition, Ivanets was among few Galician artists who did an experimental exhibition of Ukrainian art in Moscow. In 1944 Ivanets was arrested by the Soviet army and died in a prison. This fifth exhibition was a final one for SUOM. The 6th exhibition was planned to premiere in Krakow in September 1944, but it never happened. Moreover, most of the artists mentioned in the catalogue had to leave the new Soviet state and any facts on the history of those exhibitions were banned. In 1952 over 2000 works of art were burnt in Soviet Lviv national museum at request of the federal centre: among those the museum lost many items listed in this catalogue and most of the works by Ivanets himself. As history has shown, not all artists were silenced and "erased" from art history by the Soviet censors. Some, like Mykhailyna Stefanovych-Ol'shans'ka (1895-1975), did not support the Soviet regime and chose semi-forced exile. Ol'shans'ka initially joined GermanFreie Künstler Union member and later moved to the US, where she contributed to iconography and mural restoration. Some, like Danylo Narbut (1916-1998), were repressed but ultimately managed to succeed artistically. In 1936 Narbut was imprisoned and forced to work at Belomorkanal, however, as a Soviet war hero he managed to get the prestigious position of art director at Ivano-Frankivsk theatre - despite being an open Ukrainian nationalist. And others, like Vasyl' Forostets'kyi (1913-1981), pursued on to lead a relatively quiet artistic life in the UkSSR, combining teaching and painting. Rare. WorldCat fifinds 1 copy held at Harvard University Fine Arts Library. Not in KVK.
[24], 160 pp., ill., numerous ads. 23 x 15.5 cm. Both calendar and almanac parts within the book have a title page. Original publisher's illustrated wrappers. In Ukrainian. Overall good condition, Wear to the spine and both covers. Front cover partially detached. Numbers "1930" with pen on the spine, stamp "Printed in Galicia" on the front cover. Insides clean. Minor tear to p. 39-40. Cover illustration by Edvard Kozak (1902-1992), an Ukrainian artist most known as a children's books illustrator and a caricaturist. The publisher Chervona Kalyna, active from 1921 to 1939, was created by a joint effort of two military groups: Lehion Ukrayins'kykh Sichovykh Stril'tsiv [Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen] and Ukrayins'ka Halyts'ka Armiya [Ukrainian Army of Galicia]. "Chervona Kalyna" itself stands for the berry red viburnum, a cossack symbol known to any Ukrainian. Chervona Kalyna was led by Galician military officials with Stepan Shukhevych serving as head, but the literary and publishing work were guided by the poet Lev Lepkyi (1888-1971) and prominent Galician publisher Yvan Tyktor (1896-1982) respectively. The contents is a swan song of the failed Ukrainian armed struggle for independence during the late 1910's. The book, aside from the vast variety of advertisements, consists of 2 parts: calendar and literary part. The calendar lists Catholic and historically important Ukraine related dates. Each month is accompanied by a short story on heroism of the Ukrainian army from the 1914-1921 period (according to various studies, this 1930 calendar was the first one to introduce such a format of month-related shorts). The literary part has a table of contents and consists of some dozen articles written mostly by the riflemen themselves, with photographic and sometimes artistic materials supplemented. The articles are mostly memoirs and chronics of the battles with Bolsheviks and Poland during the short Polish-Ukrainian war. The authors are describing in detail the glory of the days gone by, reflecting on some political events, and providing biographies of important people of the decade. There is a place for curiosities nevertheless: one article cites love poems taken out from censored soldier letters in 1919 and a joke about cognac. Interesting also is the way the introductory ads are made: the text part providing reviews of new historical books is framed with ads of legal advisors and doctors. Such Chervona Kalyna calendars were published annually and all had a national-patriotic incline. They were niche, but competed successfully with similar Western Ukrainian calendars of the time - Dnipro, Prosvita, Zhinocha dolia. Research states, there were a total of 27 different calendars almanacs issued in the Western Ukraine during 1920-1930's (see: Kuzhel', L. Zakhidnoukrains'ki ta ukrains'ki emihratsiini al'manakhy 1920-1930-kh rokiv: tematyko-typolohichnyi analiz. In: Zapysky L'vivs'koi natsional'noi naukovoi biblioteky Ukrainy imeni V. Stefanyka. #7, 2015). This particular calendar was popular among the youth that had romantic views on the military activities and the older emigrants who were veterans of the battles described. Additionally, the publisher issued over 80 books on politics and war and was publishing a monthly Litopys Chervonoi Kalyny. The contents were all revolving around the armed struggle for Ukrainian independence, politics and military history. The publisher ceased to exist after the annexation of Western Ukraine by the USSR. Rare. WorldCat and KVK show some issues of Ystorychnyi kaliendar-al'manakh available in libraries, but only the Russian State Library has a copy for 1930.