Arkhyp Teslenko

Arkhyp Yukhymovych Teslenko (; 2 March (O.S. 18 February) 1882–28 (15) June 1911) was a Ukrainian writer, poet and dramatist. Known as an author of socially critical prose with impressionist elements, he dedicated much of his work to the problems of Ukrainian peasantry in the environment of Tsarist oppression. During the Revolution of 1905, Teslenko himself joined the ranks of peasant insurgents, and as a result spent several years under arrest and in exile, which contributed to his early death.

Biography Teslenko was born in the village of Kharkivtsi, then part of the Lokhvytsia povit of Poltava Governorate (now Poltava Oblast, Ukraine). He came from a poor peasant family and received his primary education in a parish school. In 1894 he enrolled into a teachers' seminary, but was soon expelled for "freethought". After his expulsion, Teslenko provided his living as a hired labourer, and spent some time as a scribe's aide and a trainee of a notary in Lokhvytsia. He eventually applied for a training course as telegraph operator in Dolynska, but was forced to abandon it due to poor eyesight. After spending two years in exile, in 1910 Teslenko was allowed to return to his native village, but his health had already been severely damaged by harsh conditions under arrest. Another topic present in Teslenko's works is the alienation of official Orthodoxy from the lives of Ukrainian population.

According to literary critics, Teslenko's writing was influenced both by traditions of classical Ukrainian literature, especially works of Marko Vovchok, as well as by elements of Impressionism. Some of his later texts are stylistically close to early works by Volodymyr Vynnychenko.

Legacy and commemoration Teslenko's works have seen numerous posthumous publications. A memorial museum dedicated to the writer has been established in Kharkivtsi, and a monument to him exists in Lokhvytsia.