The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America released the following statement on February 25 in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ukrainian poetess Lesia Ukrainka, who was born on February 25, 1871.
On February 25 Ukrainians around the world will celebrate the life of Larysa Kosach-Kvitka, better known by her literary pseudonym – Lesia Ukrainka. Born on the this day 150 years ago, Lesia became the foremost woman writer in Ukrainian literature, a leading figure in its modernist movement, and an activist for the advancement of political, civil and women’s rights. For over a century, her contribution to Ukraine’s literature and identity has inspired millions and will continue to do so for years to come.
Born into a talented family, Lesia Ukrainka had a number of influential people to mentor her from a young age. Her mother, Olha Drahomanova-Kosach, was a writer and publicist better known by her literary pseudonym Olena Pehilka, and her uncle, Mykhailo Drahomanov, was a well-known Ukrainian scientist, historian and public figure. Lesia’s early poetry was inspired by Ukraine’s greatest literary figures – Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko. Through the inspiration of these great historical figures, her love for her nation and the written word flourished.
By the time she was eight, she had written her first poem titled “Nadia” (Hope), and her first published poems “Konovalia” (Lily of the Valley) and “Safo” (Sappho) appeared in “Zoria,” the Lviv journal in 1884. Lesia and her brother organized a literary circle called “Pleyda” (The Pleiades), which was founded to promote the development of Ukrainian literature and for the purpose of translating foreign classics into the Ukrainian language. Lesia had a strong knowledge of many languages, including Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, German and English.
She actively opposed Russian autocracy and promoted a free and independent Ukraine. Lesia also penned epic poems, dramas, prose, literary criticism, and a number of sociopolitical essays. She was best known for her plays “Boyarynya” (1914; The Noblewoman) – a psychological tragedy centered on a Ukrainian family living in the 17th century – and “Lisova pisnia” (1912; The Forest Song), whose characters include mythological beings from Ukrainian folklore.
At a young age Lesia was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis, a debilitating disease that forced her to travel often to places with dry climates where she could receive treatment. Many of these treatments were torturous for the young woman, as she often had to remain stationary for long periods of time. It was through her poetry that she was able to experience the freedom that her physical body could not enjoy. Her words were her wings that allowed her to soar even in her darkest moments. From her poem “Contra Spem Spero” (Hope Despite all Odds): “Yes, I will laugh despite my tears, I’ll sing out songs amidst my misfortunes, I’ll have hope despite all odds, I will live! Away, you sorrowful thoughts!”
Lesia’s last years were spent convalescing in Egypt and the Caucusus, before she passed away on August 1, 1913, in Georgia. Ukraine’s most prominent female poet is buried at Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv.
The UCCA calls upon the Ukrainian American community to celebrate the life of the foremost female writer in Ukraine’s literature – Lesia Ukrainka – whose body of work not only presents universal themes, but also reflects Ukraine’s struggle for greater freedom.