1997: A year of Yurii Andrukhovych in print (05/03/98)

1997: A year of Yurii Andrukhovych in print

by Marko Andryczyk

LVIV - Anyone within earshot of discussions about contemporary Ukrainian literature is undoubtedly familiar with the name Yurii Andrukhovych. Within the last 10 years, the poet, prose writer, and essayist has emerged as one of contemporary Ukraine's writers that readers find most fascinating.

In terms of publication and exposure, 1997 proved to be a most active year for Mr. Andrukhovych. In 1985, through correspondence from his home town of Ivano-Frankivsk, Mr. Andrukhovych, together with Rivne's Oleksander Irvanets and Lviv's Viktor Neborak formed the literary collective Bu-Ba-Bu.

To date, three collections of Mr. Andrukhovych's poetry have been published: "Nebo i Ploshchi" (Sky and Plazas, 1985), "Sered Mista"( In town, 1989) and "Ekzotychnyj Ptakhy i Roslyny"(Exotic Birds and Plants, 1991). Numerous anthologies, journals and newspapers, including "Tvory Bu-Ba-Bu" (The Works of Bu-Ba-Bu, 1995) and "From Three Worlds: New Writing from Ukraine" (1996) have also presented Mr. Andrukhovych's writings both in the original Ukrainian and in translation into Polish, German and English.

In 1990 Mr. Andrukhovych, perhaps overwhelmed by the multitude of characters he created in his poetry, and the individual depth with which he invested them, ceased writing verse and concentrated instead on writing prose. In total, he has written three novels: "Rekreatsiyi" (Recreations), "Moskoviada" and "Perversiyi" (Perversions) all of which were first serialized in the literary journal Suchasnist.

In 1997, all three novels were published in individual volumes. That year also saw the re-publication of the most well-known of his poetry collections, "Ekzotychni Ptakhy i Roslyny."

This collection, together with Neborak's "Litayucha Holova" and Propala Hramota's "Propala Hramota," are among the most essential texts that served in defining Ukrainian's cultural rebirth in the early years of its independence. Due to its popularity, copies of "Ekzotychni Ptakhy i Roslyny" were always difficult to obtain and it is for this reason and for the fact that the author himself no longer owns a copy of this book that Mr. Andrukhovych decided to re-release it.

The 1997 version of "Ekzotychni Ptakhy i Roslyny" differs from its original edition in design and somewhat in content. For this publication, the author chose to add selections from his other works and omitted several poems from the 1991 original and reworked others. This volume also concludes with the long poem cycle "India," the writer's last work in verse.

"Ekzotychni Ptakhy i Roslyny (z dodatkom Indiyi)," as the collection is formally titled is enhanced by icon-collage illustrations designed by contemporary Ukrainian artist Izdryk. It was published by the Ivano-Frankivsk publishing firm, Lilea-HB and is "edited" by a fictitious list of editors (all variations of names of Mr. Andrukhovych's personages).

"Ekzotychni Ptakhy i Roslyny" was formally presented on December 5, 1997, at the Lviv Palace of Art. At the presentation, Mr. Andrukhovych chose only to read a few of his poems himself and instead called upon his colleagues to perform their interpretations of his poems. They included Mr. Neborak, Nazar Honchar (from the Lviv poetry collective LuHoSad), Roman Chaika (from the Lviv rock group Mertvyi Piven), Halia Petrosanak and Izdryk.

Mr. Andrukhovych concluded the evening by reading "India" accompanied by former Ne Zhurys composer Yuri Sayenko. This presentation of the poem, a somewhat metaphysical mind excursion between heaven and hell in search for the possibility of raising life to a higher level was effectively mind-blowing and proved to be the evening's highlight.

The year 1998 continued to welcome Mr. Andrukhovych with accolades. Interestingly, and much to the admiration of Mr. Andrukhovych's closest colleagues and most loyal admirers, Mr. Andrukhovych withdrew his nomination for the Shevchenko Prize in Literature and in doing so, forfeited his chances for a substantial monetary reward. He explained this act with several reasons ranging from the humble ("my chances weren't very good anyway") to a defiant criticism of the current state of affairs in Ukraine. Unwilling to recognize this "social" prize as this would signify an acceptance of the current state of affairs in Ukraine, Mr. Andrukhovych rejected the politics of this potential honor. In doing so, Mr. Andrukhovych chose to cling to his "unofficial," independent, roots which nonetheless managed to sprout him in the contemporary literary world as a fascinating representative of his exotic homeland.