BOOK NOTE: Life and works of prolific Wolodymyr T. Zyla (10/15/00)

BOOK NOTE: Life and works of prolific Wolodymyr T. Zyla

"Wolodymyr T. Zyla: Life and Works" by Petro Soroka. Ternopil: Lileia, 1999, 300 pp., $20. ISBN 966-7298-37-X.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The Ukrainian-language book "Wolodymyr T. Zyla: Life and Works," published to mark the 80th birthday of the well-known literary scholar and critic, was released in late 1999 by the Lileia Publishing House of Ternopil, Ukraine.

It is fitting that a Ternopil publisher released this monograph by Petro Soroka, inasmuch as Prof. Zyla was born in the ancient town of Zbarazh in the Ternopil region of Ukraine.

The monograph's first chapter describes the political and social milieu into which Prof. Zyla was born and in which he was reared. Born June 25, 1919, at a time that Zbarazh and environs were under Polish occupation, his was a nationally conscious family that was part of the intelligentsia. His father, Ivan Zyla, was a soldier in the Ukrainian Galician Army.

Also in the first chapter the book's author weaves in Prof. Zyla's childhood recollections of the people who had a formative influence on him as a young boy, his education, his days in the Polish gymnasium (there was no Ukrainian secondary school in the town), and his fascination with history as well as nationalistic treatises then being circulated surreptitiously.

In 1938 the young Mr. Zyla entered Lviv University to study at the Faculty of Law. His studies were interrupted in 1939 with the occupation of Lviv by the Soviet army. He was drafted by the Soviets in May 1941; and soon thereafter was captured by the Germany army.

During his time in the camps in Germany Mr. Zyla published the magazines Ukraina (1943-1945) and Voyatska Slava (Soldier's Glory, 1944-1945), which promoted the idea of independent Ukrainian statehood. He also authored a book titled "Facts and Figures Against Bolshevism" (1944).

In 1945 Mr. Zyla joined the Ukrainian National Army and was assigned to conduct political-educational work among the troops. He was later recognized for his work by being awarded the Ukrainian Kozak Cross (with gold laurel leaf ribbon).

After the war Mr. Zyla wound up in Austria, where he worked for the civil censorship authorities, and later for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the International Refugee Organization. Also in Austria he began to publish the newspaper Ukrainski Visti, which due to pressure exerted by Soviet officials succeeded in publishing only five issues.

During the period of displaced persons camps, Mr. Zyla became active in community, cultural and educational activity, and became one of the founders of the Ukrainian Aid Committee that represented the interests of Ukrainian DPs before the British occupational authorities.

In 1948, after he married fellow Ternopil native Iryna Bagan, Mr. Zyla and his family, which now included a daughter, Swiatoslawa, emigrated to Brazil. En route via ship, Mr. Zyla again took up publishing activity, releasing a newspaper called Sea Express. He also prepared a commemorative publication called Souvenir Edition.

From 1948 to 1952 the Zylas lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While working at the General Motors plant, Mr. Zyla also began publishing the newspaper Nasha Dumka, which was short-lived due to financial difficulties. Later Mr. Zyla became a founder of the Sobornist Ukrainian Society and in 1950 was the society's representative to the Congress of Ukrainians in Brazil. Later he was Sobornist's representative to the Congress Secretariat in Curitiba and was a contributor to its information bulletin.

His political activity flourished also, as the young political scientist delivered many speeches and papers on diverse topics dealing with the Ukrainian liberation struggle and the Ukrainian cause.

After the birth of their son, Lubomyr, the Zylas moved to Canada, settling in Winnipeg, where Mr. Zyla continued his community and political activity, including involvement with the Ukrainian Canadian Committee.

Soon thereafter Mr. Zyla decided to resume his university studies. He earned a B.S. from the University of Manitoba and then an M.A. in Slavic studies from the same institution. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Slavic philology from the Ukrainian Free University in Munich.

He also took up teaching, first at Gimli Collegiate Institute, then at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate and Grant Park High School.

While in Canada, the Zylas' second daughter, Romanna, was born. Then, in 1963 the Zyla family moved to Texas, where Mr. Zyla became assistant professor of foreign languages at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

He rose through the ranks, becoming an associate professor, and in 1968 was named chairman of the Interdepartmental Committee on Comparative Literature. Prof. Zyla founded the university's annual symposia on comparative literature and chaired the program for its first 10 years. After serving Texas Tech for 23 years, he retired in 1986.

A prolific author, literary critic, translator and teacher, Dr. Zyla is member of numerous scholarly societies, including the Shevchenko Scientific Society, the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Ukrainian Historical Association and many other Ukrainian and American learned societies. He is the author of countless articles published in the Ukrainian, English, German and other languages.

Dr. Zyla was a minister in the Ukrainian National Republic-in-exile, serving as minister of culture and education in 1986-1990, and as minister of foreign affairs in 1990-1992.

The author of "Wolodymyr T. Zyla: Life and Works," having set the stage by reviewing Dr. Zyla's extraordinary life's path, goes on to devote separate chapters to his scholarly work, his work on the two-volume compendium "Zbarazhschyna," his religious and educational writings, his political activity and his literary criticism.

A final section, "Conclusions," expresses the author's admiration for his subject and his wish that other scholars in the future will devote time to study the valuable contributions of Wolodymyr T. Zyla in various spheres of activity.

The 300-page volume concludes with a listing of Dr. Zyla's books and publications.

Though published in Ukraine, the book is available in this country for $20 from Dr. Wolodymyr T. Zyla, 5220 29th St. Lubbock, TX 79407-3510.

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