Lviv's literati count down the end of a millennium (08/16/98)

Lviv's literati count down the end of a millennium

by Mark Andryczyk

On the last Friday of every month, at around 5 p.m., a casual onlooker strolling past Lviv's Museum of Ethnography could not help but notice an army of drab-green trucks parked along Prospekt Svobody. Sinuous wires sprout from these vehicles and mysteriously lead up the stairs, past the watchful eye of Lviv's own statue of liberty, which dutifully guards the entrance to the museum of Ukraine's ethnic past. The more curious folk who choose to venture inside, up the majestic stairs of this one-time bank, will happen upon a meeting with representatives of contemporary Ukrainian literature.

These monthly gatherings, hosted by Lviv poet, prose writer and essayist Viktor Neborak, are part of a cycle titled "The Third Millennium" - a program that allows Ukrainian writers to meet with an interested public to read and discuss their works. The evenings are filmed by LTB (a local Lviv television channel) and broadcast about three weeks later.

The program has existed since December 1995. On April 22, 1998, which marked the 30th evening in the program's cycle, the spotlight was on Dr. Andrij Sodomorov, one of Ukraine's foremost translators of the classics of Roman and Greek literature. Afterwards, this writer met with Mr. Neborak to discuss the program's past, present and future.

An interesting note: a clock has recently been installed above the entrance to the Museum of Ethnography. The clock counts down the seconds remaining in this millennium and, as it happens, in Mr. Neborak's literary cycle.

Q: How did these literary evenings come to be?

A: Humorously! Originally the idea surfaced during the first years of Ukrainian independence - an era of mega-festivals and celebrations, among them the literary/music cycle "Reberytatsia," which I organized. There were so many festivals that we jokingly suggested naming one "The Third Millennium" and presenting it every day until the new millennium. It proved to be more realistic to do it once a month.

We are living in a unique period of time. People tend not to think about the future. This program reminds them of it and serves as a bridge into the next millennium over which values, through literature, can be carried.

Q: How are guests chosen for this program?

A: I personally invite the guests for each evening. However, the public has slowly begun to influence what guests I choose because, over time, I have learned what it expects from these evenings and it is important that a good exchange between the guest and his/her public take place.

Q: Describe the public that attends these gatherings. Has it evolved over the last three years?

A: The public is an interesting mix of young and old. There are 20 or so people, fanatics, who come every month, regardless of the featured guest or his/her branch of specialization because they like to take part in an intellectual conversation. We average about 80 people, so the other 60 come to see a specific guest. And these numbers are growing. But the size of the public is not important. Again, a good exchange is key.

Q: Can you recall any guests whose evenings remain as highlights of this cycle?

A: [Kyiv-based poet] Vasyl Herasymiuk was a particularly interesting guest. He's a good friend of mine and I asked him questions in an attempt to stimulate him to open up, personally, to the public. The resulting exchange was great! [Poet and former Suchasnist editorial board member] Moisei Fishbein was a very complex and excellent guest because of his openness and the emphasis he places on his Ukrainian-Jewish heritage. Other evenings that come to mind were meetings with diaspora guests [literature professor at Harvard] George Grabowicz and [New York Group poet] Yuri Tarnawsky. The poetry group LuHoSad was very colorful with its unique sense of humor and special ability to entertain the public.

Q: What kind of forum do Ukrainian writers have today to present their works to an interested public?

A: There are official organizations such as the Ukrainian Writers' Union that deal with this. I wanted to form something independent of any official constraints. In my program I am not bound by anything - and neither is the public. There is no buffet after the evening, people are free to get up and leave if they wish, they can come late, the meetings can be moved to another place if necessary. No pressure - I like that.

There are certain hermitic writers who are brilliant but don't want to publicly show themselves. I don't touch them. Others are waiting to be asked. Who will ask them? Official organizations, governments, are used to waiting for budgets to be voted on before inviting someone or organizing something. They are in no hurry. As a result, many good writers never get invited. I don't provide any financial reward, but at my evenings a writer can sell his/her books to pay for a train ride to Lviv and possibly drink a cup of coffee in a Lviv café.

Q: Do such evenings take place elsewhere in Ukraine?

A: Kharkiv has something similar, but it takes place irregularly. Kyiv, through Smoloskyp, has evenings concentrating on young writers. Lviv is the only place I know of where this is done systematically, independent of any organization. Maybe because of an inherent snobbism in this city, there is a certain prestige in attending an intellectual soirée. Maybe people here have a lot of free time. Maybe there's a genuine interest. Somebody should try organizing such a program elsewhere in Ukraine.

Q: Can someone in North America see video-recordings of these programs?

A: Harvard University has about 10 videotapes of these evenings. Unfortunately, due to the required transfer from the European to the American video system, the video quality is somewhat poor. However what's important is the fact that the audio recording is fine.

Q: What's going to happen to the program when the new millennium finally arrives?

A: The last Friday of December 2000 will mark the end of this program. Maybe it will continue after that, under a different name. We'll see.

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