“Contours of The City,” by Attyla Mohylny, translated by Michael Naydan. London: Glagoslav Publication, 2017. 140 pp. ISBN: 978-1-911414-57-5 (paperback), $26.50.
The poetry of Attyla Mohylny’s “Contours of the City” completely breaks with the tradition of rhyme and meter that dominated Ukrainian poetry until only recently. Though largely overlooked when it first appeared during the political transition to Ukrainian independence in 1991, “Contours of the City” arguably comprises one of the finest collection of free verse written in Ukrainian.
Mr. Mohylny was a part of transitional and transformational group of writers who dramatically turned from Soviet-imposed censorship to create new directions and a new poetics for Ukrainian culture. Born in 1963, Mr. Mohylny died at the young age of 45. He received a degree in philosophy from the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University and worked mostly as a teacher, editor and journalist during his lifetime.
He authored two books of poetry early in his career: “Tumbler Pigeons Above the Rooftops,” and “Contours of the City,” along with the text for the children’s book, “Mavka and the Ant King.” He continued to work on writing short stories and a novel until his untimely death.
The translator, Michael M. Naydan, is a Woskob Family Professor of Slavic Languages and Literature at Pennsylvania State University.