BOOK NOTES

Franko's "Lys Mykyta" in English

"Fox Mykyta," by Bohdan Melnyk. Toronto: The Basilian Press, 2000, 238 pp., (paper).

An English translation of the adventures of the fox, the wolf, the bear, the rabbit, the cat, the goat and other animals of Ivan Franko's famous children's poem "Lys Mykyta" is available from The Basilian Press in Toronto.

Translated by Bohdan Melnyk and illustrated by Edvard Kozak, the book is recommended for ages 10 and up in "The Best of the Best" for children's literature from 110 countries by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.

In his introduction, Mr. Melnyk issues an invitation to his young readers:

"Now take a very careful look
While reading this amusing book:
You'll recognize that some of them
Have qualities we all condemn,
Like spite, hypocrisy and greed.
But who are they, these beasts, indeed?
The answer is not hard to find,
Just keep the following in mind:
Behind each beast, whate'er its race
There always hides a human face.
It is, therefore, a human tale
Wrapped in an allegoric veil.
Its every part imbued with wit
makes this great classic exquisite."

The 238-page book contains the Ukrainian version of the poem alongside a rhymed English translation and an essay by Ivan Franko titled "Who is 'Fox Mykyta' and where does he come from?" It also contains a short biography of Mr. Franko and a glossary of the rarely used Ukrainian words found in the original.

The book is available from The Basilian Press, 265 Bering Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M8Z 3A5.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 10, 2001, No. 23, Vol. LXIX

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