BOOK NOTES: Special collection published to honor Dr. Zenon Kohut (11/13/05)

BOOK NOTES

Special collection published to honor Dr. Zenon Kohut

"Synopsis: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Zenon E. Kohut," Serhii Plokhy and Frank E. Sysyn, editors. Edmonton: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, 2005. Hard cover, $44.95; soft cover, $28.

The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) Press has announced the publication of "Synopsis: A Collection of Essays in Honor of Zenon E. Kohut." Edited by Serhii Plokhy and Frank E. Sysyn, this hard-cover collection is also available in soft cover as Volume 29, Nos. 1-2 of the Journal of Ukrainian Studies.

The collection was presented to Dr. Kohut on the occasion of his 60th birthday in recognition of his scholarly work in Ukrainian history and his efforts as director of CIUS. The title is taken from a 17th century historical work that is one of the subjects of Dr. Kohut's resarch.

The collection opens with an intellectual biography of Dr. Kohut by the Kharkiv historian Volodymyr Kravchenko, which is followed by 22 articles contributed by Dr. Kohut's colleagues from five countries and a bibliography of his works by Taras Kurylo.

The contributions cover all the periods of Ukrainian history, from the medieval period to the 20th century. Iaroslav Isaievych contributes a detailed study of the titles used by medieval rulers in Eastern Europe.

Five articles deal with the 17th century. Teresa Chynczewska-Hennel writes about a papal nuncio's report to the Holy See on the Polish Commonwealth in 1640, while Natalia Yakovenko deciphers the political intent of a panegyric to Jeremi Wisniowiecki (Vyshnevetsky) written in 1648 by students of the Kyiv Mohyla College. The Rev. Yurii Mytsyk transcribes and translates a Polish verse describing the 1655 battle of Dryzhypole between the Poles and the Kozaks. Paul Bushkovitch examines the contacts of Ukrainian hetmans with influential figures at the tsar's court in Moscow, and Dr. Plokhy analyzes the interpretations of the Khmelnytsky Uprising proposed by Soviet historians.

In his article Volodymyr Kravchenko examines current interpretations of the late 18th or early 19th-century "Istoriia Rusov," and Dr. Sysyn analyzes Samiilo Velychko's treatment of the Poles in his "Skazanye o Voine z Poliakamy." Oleksiy Tolochko argues that the master narrative of Russian history is derived from Vasilii Tatishchev's early 18th century history of Russia.

Four articles deal with the 19th century. Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak describes the Galician peasants' attitude to the tsarist regime. Yaroslav Hrytsak shows how Ivan Franko's Boryslav cycle reflects the events of the 1880s in that region. Orest Pelech discusses the nature of the Brotherhood of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.

Alfred J. Rieber recounts the debate over the construction of a railway line through Ukraine in the 1860s. Bohdan Klid's article, which traces the origins of the statist school of Ukrainian historiography, and David Saunders's study of Russia's exceptionally harsh treatment of Ukraine from 1847 to 1941 bridge the last two centuries.

There are more articles pertaining to the 20th century than to any other. Olga Andriewska describes the formation of the "generation of 1917," which led the struggle for Ukraine's independence. Mark von Hagen traces the evolution of Pavlo Skoropadsky from a general of the Russian Imperial Army to hetman of Ukraine. David R. Marples analyzes recent debates on the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, while Frances Swyripa examines the gender relations of Galician peasants.

Patricia Kennedy Grimsted investigates the fate of old court records from the Kyiv Archive of Early Acts that have been missing since the second world war. John-Paul Himka compares some recent Polish and Ukrainian works on icons that originated in Ukraine. Finally, Andreas Kappeler gives a critical survey of German-language studies in Ukrainian history.

The range of topics and the wealth of information and ideas make "Synopsis" a fitting tribute to Dr. Kohut, a prolific writer with wide-ranging interests.

The clothbound book costs $44.95, the soft-cover journal $28. Outside Canada, prices are in U.S. dollars. Orders can by placed online by credit card via a secure Internet connection at www.utoronto.ca/cius; e-mail, [email protected]; telephone, (780) 492-2973); fax (780) 492-4967); or by writing to: CIUS Press, 450 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8.

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