Dmytro Pavlychko

Dmytro Vasylyovych Pavlychko (; 28 September 1929 – 29 January 2023) was a Ukrainian poet, translator, scriptwriter, culturologist, and politician.

Pavlychko published poetry and translations since the 1950s. His work came under censorship from the Soviet Government. Pavlychko, who had been imprisoned as a Ukrainian Nationalist following World War II, would work within the constraints of the Soviet state and become a well regarded author and William Shakespeare scholar in Russia and Ukraine.

Following the easing of censorship in the late 1980's, Pavlychko would help shape Ukrainian statehood. He entered politics and would co-create Ukraine's first independent political party. In 1990, he co-authored the "Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine," declaring Ukrainian law overruled Soviet law.

Pavlychko was also a member of the Verkhovna Rada for two terms in the 1990s. He served as Ukraine's Ambassador to Slovakia and later to Poland.

Biography

Dmytro Pavlychko, recognized as a hero of Ukraine, had a life reflective of many of his generation.

Early life Dmytro Pavlychko was born on 28 September 1929 in a lumber worker family living in the village of Stopchativ near the Carpathian Mountains. Today this place is near the town of Yabluniv in Kosiv Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Pavlychko was schooled at a Polish language schoon in Yabluniv, and later attended a gymnasium in Kolomyia.

War and imprisonment According to his own memoirs, in April 1945 Pavlychko became a member of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), where he was known under the pseudonym "Doroshenko". After his unit had been disbanded, he resumed his studies and wanted to enter the Komsomol, but in October, at the age of 16, was detained due to his previous UPA membership. Following an investigation, in summer 1946 Pavlychko was freed from imprisonment. Later Andriy Malyshko teasingly called Pavlychko a "Banderovite broth cook". In a collection of poetry, in his last published book “Poems from Maidan,” Pavylchko would call back to his time in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Pavlychko was an honorary Doctor of Science of Lviv and Warsaw Universities and professor of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Dmytro Pavlychko would help organize and lead the 500th anniversary of the Zaporozhian Sich celebrations in 1990. The previous year in June, Dr. Olena Apanovych led an expedition to the Zaporozhian Sich on behalf of the Ukrainian Society for the Preservation of Monuments. Apanovych approached Rukh about organizing the event. Pavlychko would lead the event and encourage Rukh's political Western Base to travel to Southeastern Ukraine to celebrate the Cossack as a universal National symbol.

Pavlychko co-authored the Act on Independence of Ukraine which declared the Independence of Ukraine. which was approved on 24 August 1991. On December 1 a referendum was held and the declaration was affirmed by a majority of Ukrainians in all regions of Ukraine by a Ukrainian independence led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In 1994 Pavlychko ran for parliament as a candidate in Chyhyryn electoral district, but failed to gain enough votes. Between October 1995 and May 1998 he served as the ambassador of Ukraine to Slovakia. In 1998 Pavlychko was once again elected to the Verkhovna Rada, representing the People's Movement of Ukraine, and served as deputy until 17 March 1999. Between 26 February 1999 and 11 January 2002 he served as Ukraine's ambassador in Poland.

Personal life

His daughter was Solomiia Pavlychko (1958–1999). Pavlychko would note for example, "Interwoven like my mother's sewing, My sad and joyful ways,". This use of opposites created a sense of irony and humor in much of his work. Critic Askold Melnyczuk noted that Pavlychko used direct and plain spoken language to combine themes of love and history as a poetic Statesmen.

According to literary critic Ivan Dziuba, Dmytro Pavlychko started what would become the dissident movement in Ukraine. In 1957-58 Pavlychko's poetry collection “Pravda klyche” (The Truth Calls) was confiscated and banned for breaking political norms of the Stalin era. In later interviews Pavlychko would note that his experience with "Pravda klyche" leade him to abandon the Communist Party, and that he was a member in name only for political reasons to protect the Ukrainian Language. He would note in his younger years he had hoped the Party could be a path to an Independent Ukraine. Pavlychko said in 1992:

I would have much greater opportunities to work for the preservation of the Ukrainian language and the Ukrainian culture. And this was the basis of my Party membership.

Through the 1960s Pavlychko's work remained controversial. His best known work in 1964 “Dva koliory,” or Two Colors. It was immediately censored as promoting Ukrainian Nationalism. In 1968 Dmytro Pavlychko wrote an article about poet Bohdan Ihor Antonych and the book "Hranoslov" that lead to calls for his ouster from the Communist party.

Awards and honors Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1960) Order of the Badge of Honour (1967) Shevchenko National Prize (1977) Order of Friendship of Peoples (1979) International Botev Prize (1986) Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class (1997) Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 5th class (1999) Antonovych prize (2004) Hero of Ukraine (2004) Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 4th class (2009) Order of Liberty (Ukraine) (2015)

Published works Lyubov i nenavist ("Love and hatred"), 1953. Moya zemlya ("My land"), 1953. Chorna nytka ("Black thread"), 1958. Pravda klyche ("Truth is calling"), 1958. Granoslov, 1968. Sonety podilskoy oseny ("Podillian autumn sonnets"), 1973. Taemnytsya tvogo oblychchia ("Mystery of your face"), 1974, 1979. Magistralyamy slova ("Through word's highways"), literary criticism, 1978. Nad glybynamy ("Upon the depths"), literary criticism, 1984. Spiral, 1984. Poemy i pritchi ("Poems and parables"), 1986. Bilya muzhniogo slova ("Next to the courageous word"), literary criticism, 1988. Pokayanni psalmy ("Repentance psalms"), 1994. World sonnets (translation), 1983.

Books Dmytro Vasylovych Pavlychko. (2004). Ukrainska Natsionalna Ideia : Statti, Vystupy, Interv'iu, Dokumenty, Vyd-vo Solomii Pavlychko Osnovy. . Dmytro Vasylovych Pavlychko. (2002). Naperstok : Poezii, Vyd-vo Solomii Pavlychko Osnovy. . Dmytro Vasylovych Pavlychko. (2002). Ukrainska Natsionalna Ideia, Vydavnychyi dim KM Akademiia. . Dmytro Vasylovych Pavlychko. (1988). Bilia Muzhnoho Svitla : Literaturno-Krytychni Statti, Spohady, Vystupy, Rad. pysmennyk. .