Ukrainian American's novel tells story of Chornobyl's aftermath (04/23/00)

Ukrainian American's novel tells story of Chornobyl's aftermath

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Irene Zabytko's first novel, "The Sky Unwashed," tells the story of five women who, following the Chornobyl disaster, return to their ruined village, determined to re-establish their lives and families.

Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, N.C., and simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Ltd., the novel opens with a scene from everyday life just before the Chornobyl catastrophe and proceeds, in the midst of great political and environmental upheaval, to tell the story of townspeople of Starylis, just down the road from Chornobyl.

Ms. Zabytko, who was born and raised in Chicago, is a bilingual first-generation Ukrainian American who has traveled to Ukraine on numerous occasions, and while there worked on her novel.

Twice Ms. Zabytko was among a group that traveled to Ukraine to teach English to Ukrainian students. In 1992 she taught in Kyiv and in 1993 in Drohobych as part of the English Teachers for Ukraine program that has been conducted since 1992 by the Ukrainian National Association in cooperation with local branches of the Prosvita Society.

Ms. Zabytko's first novel (the title of which is taken from an 1848 poem by Taras Shevchenko) bears the dedication: "For my mother, Maria Zabytko, and in memory of my father, Ostap Stanley Zabytko."

The author holds a B.A. and an M.F.A. from Vermont College. She lives and works in Florida as a freelance writer. She is also book reviewer for the Orlando Sentinel.

Ms. Zabytko has been nominated for the Barnes and Noble "Discover Great Authors" series for her portrayal of life in the Chornobyl zone.

"The Sky Unwashed" (ISBN 1-56512-246-1) is available from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, P.O. Box 2225, Chapel Hill, NC 27515; telephone, (919) 967-0108. Price is $22.95 (hardcover).

Ms. Zabytko will speak at a Chornobyl commemoration in Newark, N.J., at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church on April 26, the 14th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, following an ecumenical memorial service scheduled for 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund.

On the right is Ms. Zabytko's account of how she was moved to write a fictional work about the aftermath of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

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