Usenko, Pavlo

Usenko, Pavlo [Усенко, Павло], b 23 January 1902 in Zaochipske, now in Tsarychanka raion, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, d 4 August 1975 in Kyiv. Poet and Komsomol activist. He was one of the founders of the organization Molodniak and was editor of its official organ, Molodniak. His first published work appeared in 1922. His collections of poetry include KSM (Communist Youth League of Ukraine, 1925), Poeziï (Poems, 1932), Lavy idut' Ka-eS-eM-ovi (The KSM Ranks March On, 1934), and others dedicated to the Komsomol. During the Second World War he published a number of collections of war poetry, including Za Ukraïnu (For Ukraine, 1941), Klianys' (Swear!, 1942), Vesna (Spring, 1943), and Z vohnyshch borot'by (From the Fires of Battle, 1943). His later collections were typically socialist-realist, such as I s'ohodni vesna, iak uchora (And Today It Is Spring, Just like Yesterday, 1957) and Vesen nezviianyi tsvit (The Unblown Bloom of Springs, 1960). Editions of his works appeared in 1966 (2 vols) and 1982 (4 vols). Usenko also published collections of essays, including Polustanok (Whistle-stop, 1929) and Liudy Bilomorbudu (The People of the White Sea–Baltic Canal Construction, 1934) and wartime notes and poetry for children, Dva svity (Two Worlds, 1933) and Sanochky skrypuny (The Creaking Sleigh, 1941).

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]