Children's literature
Children's literature (література для дітей; literatura dlia ditei). Ukrainian literature for children follows the development of Ukrainian literature in general, sharing with it some authors and works as well as the general impediments in development (such as Ems Ukase). The earliest work common to both children’s and adult literature is the Azbuka (ABC, 1574) published by the printer Ivan Fedorovych (Fedorov) in Lviv. The first book wholly devoted to children was Chytanka dlia malykh ditei do shkil'noho i domashn'oho upotrebleniia (A Reader for Small Children for School and Home Use, Lviv 1850), compiled by Markiian Shashkevych. Other primers soon followed, notably in eastern Ukraine (Panteleimon Kulish’s Hramatka [Grammar, Saint Petersburg 1857]; Taras Shevchenko's Bukvar' [Primer, Saint Petersburg 1860]; Oleksa Hattsuk’s Ukraïns'ka abetka [Ukrainian Alphabet, 1861]).
The interest of the Ukrainian romantics in folklore led inadvertently to the growth in children's literature. Thus, Levko Borovykovsky’s Baiky i prybaiutky (Fables and Sayings, Kyiv 1852) and the first fables of Leonid Hlibov (which began to appear in 1853) laid the beginnings for entertaining as well as didactic children's literature. Artistic prose written specifically for children, however, appeared only with the writings of Marko Vovchok, who may be called the founder of modern Ukrainian children's literature. Her Opovidannia Marka Vovchka (The Stories of Marko Vovchok, Saint Petersburg 1865) contained the first real stories for children: ‘Dev’iat' brativ i desiata sestrytsia Halia’ (Nine Brothers and a Tenth Sister Halia), ‘Vedmid'’ (The Bear), ‘Nevil'nychka’ (The Slavegirl), and ‘Karmeliuk.’ However, her most famous work for children, Marusia, owing to the prohibition of publications in Ukrainian, appeared first in a Russian translation from Ukrainian (1871). It also appeared in a French translation edited by Pierre-Jules Stahl (Maroussia, d’après la légende de Marko Wovzog, 1878) before it finally came out in the original Ukrainian (1905). The French redaction has enjoyed great popularity and countless editions. It is still recommended literature for children in France.
Some authors circumvented the restrictions on original Ukrainian literature by translating works from other literatures; these translations included Mykhailo Starytsky’s Kazky Andersena z korotkoiu ioho zhyttiepyssiu (Fables of H.C. Andersen with a Short Biography, 1873), Olena Pchilka’s Ukraïns'kym ditiam (For Ukrainian Children, 1882); and Borys Hrinchenko’s Robinzon, opovidannia pro te, iak odyn cholovik po chuzhykh kraiakh mandruvav i iak vin sam na ostrovi sered moria zhyv (Robinson, the Story of How One Man Traveled in Foreign Lands and How He Lived Alone on an Island in the Middle of the Sea, 1891). Most eastern Ukrainian writers contributed their stories and works for children to publications in Galicia, where a series of children's magazines had been established. In Lviv children's literature came under the special care of the Ruthenian Pedagogical Society (later Ridna Shkola society), which undertook the publication of Ukrainian children’s books as a means of combating Polonization. Between 1884 and 1910 the society published about 150 books for children, some with illustrations. The society’s most noted contribution to the development of children's literature, however, was the outstanding magazine Dzvinok (1890–1914). During its existence it had among its contributors the most noted Ukrainian writers and illustrators of the time (Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Lesia Ukrainka, Hrinchenko, Vasyl Shchurat, Ivan Nechui-Levytsky, Katria Hrynevycheva, and others). The most important contributor was Ivan Franko; Dzvinok serialized several of his stories for children—‘Lys Mykyta’ (Mykyta the Fox; nos 3–21, 1890), ‘Abu Kasymovi kaptsi’ (Abu Casim’s Slippers, nos 1–23, 1895)—and published many of his individual animal stories, fables, and translations (in 1896–8). A notable first was also the appearance in Dzvinok of the first children's opera, Koza Dereza (Billy Goat’s Bluff) by Mykola Lysenko.
Publication activity spread into eastern Ukraine with the relaxation of Russian censorship after the revolution of 1905. Oleksander Lototsky’s collection of stories Vinok (Wreath, 1905, 2d edn 1911) was issued by the newly established Nashym Ditiam publishing house in Saint Petersburg. Translations of children’s books were published by Yakiv Orenshtain in Kyiv (1903–14). Some translations, as well as original works, were published by L. Kyselytsia in the series Dytiacha Biblioteka (Children’s Library) in Chernivtsi (1909–14). The translations of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales and Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were issued by Borys Hrinchenko’s Vik publishing house. The most notable children’s authors at this time were Andrii Chaikovsky and Andrii Kashchenko, who both wrote Cossack adventure stories.
Children's literature continued to be written and published in the period between the two world wars. In Western Ukraine some 500 titles appeared during this time. In Transcarpathia Pavlo Kukuruza published a magazine for children, Pchilka (The Bee, 1923–33), as well as a series, Dytiacha Biblioteka, of 88 titles (1923–38). The Svit Dytyny publishing house in Lviv (1919–40) produced about 200 titles as well as the children’s magazine Svit dytyny. Among its most prominent authors were Antin Lototsky and Ivan Lypa. Also of interest were the poetic stories and plays by Oleksander Oles (Solom’ianyi bychok [The Straw Ox, 1927] and others) published by Chaika publishers in Prague.
In Soviet Ukraine children's literature took on a special significance as a means of educating future Communist cadres. The most prominent Soviet Ukrainian children’s authors in the interwar years were Andrii Holovko, author of such stories as ‘Chervona khustyna’ (Red Kerchief, 1926); Stepan Vasylchenko, author of ‘Aviiatsiinyi hurtok’ (The Aviation Group, 1924); Oleksander Kopylenko, author of novels of school life (Desiatyklasnyky [Tenth Graders, 1938]); and Mykola Trublaini. Also very popular were the translations from Russian of Kornei Chukovsky’s works (Likar Aibolyt' [Doctor Owithurts, 1926], Vid dvokh do p’iaty [From Two to Five, 1928], and others). Some excellent poetry for children was written by Pavlo Tychyna. Of other writers who wrote for young children the most noted was Nataliia Zabila (Derev’ianyi bychok [The Wooden Ox, 1935], Kazka pro pivnyka ta kurochku i pro khytru lysychku [A Tale about the Rooster and the Hen and the Crafty Fox, 1936], and other books). Other authors of note were Oksana Ivanenko, Mariia Pryhara, Valentyn Bychko, and Ivan Nekhoda. In postwar times the most prolific Soviet Ukrainian writer of children's literature was Vsevolod Nestaiko, who combined boys’ adventures with some science fiction and humor (Suputnyk ‘Lira-3’ [Sputnik ‘Lira-3,’ 1960], Pryhody Robinzona Kukuruzo [Adventures of Robinson Kukuruzo, 1964], Taiemnytsia tr'okh nevidomykh [The Secret of Three Strangers, 1970], etc).
The Second World War years brought an interruption to the publishing of children's literature. The only exception was the Cracow-based Ukrainske Vydavnytstvo (Cracow) publishing house, which published not only the journal Mali druzi but also some notable titles: a jubilee edition of Ivan Franko’s Lys Mykyta (1941), illustrated by Edvard Kozak; Roman Zavadovych’s Pryhody Gnomyka Romtomtomyka (The Adventures of Gnome Romtomtomyk), and his poetic tale Khloptsi z zelenoho boru (The Boys from the Green Wood, 1943).
After the war activity in children's literature was resumed by the establishment of the Association of Ukrainian Writers for Young People (OPDLM) in 1946 in the displaced persons camps in Germany. The OPDLM later spread to many Western countries and established, under the direction of Bohdan Hoshovsky, its publishing firm Nashym Ditiam in Toronto; it published more than 100 titles, among them: Pryvit, Ukraïno, tobi (Greetings to You, Ukraine, 1950), consisting of poems and stories illustrated by Viktor Tsymbal, Okhrim Sudomora, and Mykhailo Mykhalevych; Marko Vovchok’s Sestra Melassia (Sister Melassia), illustrated by Jacques Hnizdovsky; and N. Mudryk-Mryts’s Pryhody horishka (Adventures of a Little Nut, 1970).
Prior to the arrival of the postwar emigration some Ukrainian books for children had appeared in Canada. The first was a Ukrainian-English dictionary compiled by Ivan Bodrug and M. Shcherbinin in 1905. In 1913 the first bilingual Ukrainian-English reader, Manitoba-Ruthenian Reader, appeared. Although few original books were written, children’s needs were served by the establishment of several magazines (Tsvitka, Jersey City, NJ 1914–17; Dzvinochok, Winnipeg 1918). Nevertheless, prior to 1945 most books for children were imported from Ukraine.
Although the Association of Ukrainian Writers for Young People was the primary publisher of books for children, other Ukrainian associations (Plast Ukrainian Youth Association, the Ukrainian National Women's League of America), such publishing houses as Howerla and Knyhospilka (New York), newspapers, and even individual authors (Roman Zavadovych) published children’s books. Since the 1960s some Ukrainian books for children have appeared also in English, including Konstantin Ushinsky’s How a Shirt Grew in the Field, 1967; Tusya and the Pot of Gold, 1971; several books illustrated by Yaroslava Surmach-Mills; the collections Ukrainian Folk Tales, 1964, illustrated by Jacques Hnizdovsky, and The Flying Ship and Other Ukrainian Folk Tales, 1975; Marie Bloch’s Bern, Son of Mikula, 1972, illustrated by Edvard Kozak; and a prose adaptation of Ivan Franko’s classic, Fox Mykyta, 1978, by B. Melnyk, illustrated by William Kurelek.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mariienhof, Ye. Trydtsiat' rokiv dytiachoï literatury v URSR (Kyiv 1949)
Za ridnu knyzhku ditiam (Toronto 1951)
Shcho povynna chytaty ukraïns'ka dytyna (Toronto 1957)
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Hoshovsky, B. (ed), My i nashi dity: Dytiacha literatura, mystetstvo, vykhovannia, 1 (Toronto–New York 1965)
Wynar, C.L. ‘Ukrainian Children’s Literature in North America,’ Phaedrus, 6, no. 1 (spring 1979)
Kilichenko, L.; Leshchenko, P.; Protsenko, I. Ukraïns'ka dytiacha literatura (Kyiv 1979)
Kostiuchenko, V. Ukraïns'ka radians'ka literatura dlia ditei: Literaturno-krytychnyi narys (Kyiv 1984)
Kilichenko, L. Ukraïns'ka dytiacha literatura: Navchal'nyi posibnyk (Kyiv 1987)
Danylo Husar Struk
[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]