Platon Voronʹko

Platon Mykytovych Voronko (; 1 December (O.S. 18 November) 1913, Chernechchyna, Akhtyrsky Uyezd, Kharkov Governorate – 10 August 1988, Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR) was a Ukrainian poet and member of the Soviet partisan movement. In Ukraine he is best known for his children's poems. He was employed as a construction worker in Tajikistan. Having served in the Red Army, between 1938 and 1941 Voronko studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow.

Career In 1939, he volunteered to the front of Winter War. During the Great Patriotic War Voronko commanded a partisan formation under the leadership of Sydir Kovpak. After the death of fellow commander Semyon Rudnev during the partisans' raid into the Carpathians, Voronko preserved his diary for publication. Many of his poems and songs were printed and distributed as leaflets in occupied areas of Ukraine during the war. Voronko's early verses depict the heroics of partisan struggle, meanwhile his postwar texts are dedicated to the topics of patriotic feats, Socialist labour, struggle for peace and friendship between peoples. Known for their wide genre spectrum, originality of rhythm and melody, lyricism, ideological content, realism, philosophic undertones, richness of emotions and conscise structure, his poems are inspired by Ukrainian people's deep spiritual traditions. Voronko also created numerous songs, poems, fairytales, ballads and poems for children. His works have been translated into numerous languages.

Personal life He died in 1988 in Kyiv.

Awards and honors In 1951, Voronko was awarded with the State Prize of Ukrainian SSR for his poem Glorious Peace. In 1960, received the Ostrovsky Komsomol Prize. In 1972, he received the Shevchenko State Prize for the poem Flood. For his children's verses, in 1976, Voronko became a laureate of Lesya Ukrainka Prize.

Works

Carpathian Raid (Карпатський рейд, 1944) Partisan General Rudnev (Партизанський генерал Руднєв, 1946) Spring Thunder (Весняний грім, 1947) In the Name of Your Will... (В ім’я твоєї волі..., 1949) Glorious Peace (Славен мир, 1950) From Moscow to the Carpathians (Від Москви до Карпат, 1951) My Moscow (Моя Москва, 1953) My Hutsulshchyna (Моя Гуцульщина, 1956) Dragi Drugari (Драгі другарі, 1959) For All Years of Separation (За всі літа розлуки, 1962) Nelyn (Нелинь, 1963) Little Reading Book (Читаночка, 1969) Flood (Повінь, 1970) Tale of Chuhaister (Казка про Чугайстра, 1971) Snow Star is Burning (Сніжна зіронька горить, 1973) A Crane Flew Around (Облітав журавель, 1974) Seven for Everyone (Всім по сім, 1975) Zhdvyh-Land (Здвиг-земля, 1976) Uzmin (Узьмінь, 1979) Osenytsia (Осениця, 1983)

Source Українська Літературна Енциклопедія. — К., 1988. — Т. 1: А-Г. — С. 357-368.