Ihor Kalynets
Encyclopedia
Ihor Mironovych Kalynets (b 1939 in Khodoriv
, Lviv Oblast
) was a Ukrainian
poet
and Soviet dissident.
. He was the son of an agronomist
. his parents upheld Ukrainian cultural traditions. As a child, Kalynets read banned literature in the Ukrainian language
, and watched the mass deportations of Ukrainians by the communists.
Kalynets graduated from Lviv University
in 1961. He began writing in the 1950s, and his first book of poetry was published in 1966. Because of censorship, the rest of his works were published in the west in the Ukrainian language
. He was friends with the poets Ivan Drach
and Ivan Dziuba
.
heritage. In his most famous work, Kupalo's Fire (1966), Kalynets connects the country's folklore and ancient traditions to modern, Soviet life. Most of his works do not contain glaring political criticisms, rather unexpressed denunciation. Kalynets drew strong influence from Bohdan Ihor Antonych, and dedicated one of his poems to him. He also dedicated poems to various Ukrainian cultural icons, including Taras Shevchenko
, filmmaker Alexander Dovzhenko
, and composer Stanislav Liudkevych among others. He refused to dedicate any poems to the Soviet leaders, breaking from the custom which was typical among poets in that time.
and general Soviet lawlessness, he was sentenced to nine years in a labour camp and exile. His wife was arrested in January 1972. Kalynets refused to cooperate with the KGB and began behaving in a defiant manner. In March 1971, the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of Ukraine
denounced Kalynets' poetry as "reprehensible", made worse by the fact that he allowed his work to be published in the West. Kalynets was then indicted on the grounds that he "issues a veiled appeal to struggle against the Soviet government", "calls for a revival of the Uniate Church", "covertly presents the idea that the Ukrainian people is oppressed by the Soviet government", and "articulates a nationalist ideology, as well as nostalgia for the past and for an independent state". On 11 August 1972 he was arrested, and on 15 November 1972 convicted anti-Soviet activities by a closed court and sentenced to six years in labour camps and three years in exile. He served out his sentences in the Perm
political labour camps. He was first at No. 35 at Vsechsvyatskaya, but he was then moved to No. 36 in the village of Kutchino, Perm Region. While in prison, he took part in the resistance movement. He was involved with hunger strikes, the writing of appeals and the writing of chronicles of the two camps.
He was married to Iryna Kalynets who actively opposed the suppression of the Uniate Church and was a professor of Ukrainian language and literature at the Polytechnical Institute of Lviv
. She also spent six years hard labour.
The Order of Liberty
(2009).
Khodoriv
Khodoriv is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It has a population of 10,080.The city was first mentioned in 1394. In many historic documents it is referred to as Khodoriv-stav. In many documents it is named Khodoriv-stav. It is connected with a male name Fedir and the situation of the...
, Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
) was a Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and Soviet dissident.
Background
Kalynets was born in KhodorivKhodoriv
Khodoriv is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It has a population of 10,080.The city was first mentioned in 1394. In many historic documents it is referred to as Khodoriv-stav. In many documents it is named Khodoriv-stav. It is connected with a male name Fedir and the situation of the...
. He was the son of an agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
. his parents upheld Ukrainian cultural traditions. As a child, Kalynets read banned literature in the Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
, and watched the mass deportations of Ukrainians by the communists.
Kalynets graduated from Lviv University
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
in 1961. He began writing in the 1950s, and his first book of poetry was published in 1966. Because of censorship, the rest of his works were published in the west in the Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
. He was friends with the poets Ivan Drach
Ivan Drach
Ivan Drach is a Ukrainian poet, screenwriter, literary critic, politician dissident, and political activist....
and Ivan Dziuba
Ivan Dziuba
Ivan Dziuba is a Ukrainian literary critic, social activist, dissident, Hero of Ukraine, academic of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the second Minister of Culture of Ukraine , Head of the Committe for Shevchenko National Prize .Co-Chief of Editorial Board of the Encyclopaedia of Modern...
.
Writing
One of the main themes of Kalyntes' poetry is cultural glorification. Much of his writing uses a vocabulary full of cultural allusions. His work reflects his pride in Ukrainian culture and the country's ancient pagan and early ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
heritage. In his most famous work, Kupalo's Fire (1966), Kalynets connects the country's folklore and ancient traditions to modern, Soviet life. Most of his works do not contain glaring political criticisms, rather unexpressed denunciation. Kalynets drew strong influence from Bohdan Ihor Antonych, and dedicated one of his poems to him. He also dedicated poems to various Ukrainian cultural icons, including Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
, filmmaker Alexander Dovzhenko
Alexander Dovzhenko
Aleksandr Petrovich Dovzhenko , was a Soviet screenwriter, film producer and director of Ukrainian descent. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin.- Biography :...
, and composer Stanislav Liudkevych among others. He refused to dedicate any poems to the Soviet leaders, breaking from the custom which was typical among poets in that time.
Arrest
Because he was a "Ukrainian bourgeois nationalist" and he opposed the policies of russificationRussification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
and general Soviet lawlessness, he was sentenced to nine years in a labour camp and exile. His wife was arrested in January 1972. Kalynets refused to cooperate with the KGB and began behaving in a defiant manner. In March 1971, the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
denounced Kalynets' poetry as "reprehensible", made worse by the fact that he allowed his work to be published in the West. Kalynets was then indicted on the grounds that he "issues a veiled appeal to struggle against the Soviet government", "calls for a revival of the Uniate Church", "covertly presents the idea that the Ukrainian people is oppressed by the Soviet government", and "articulates a nationalist ideology, as well as nostalgia for the past and for an independent state". On 11 August 1972 he was arrested, and on 15 November 1972 convicted anti-Soviet activities by a closed court and sentenced to six years in labour camps and three years in exile. He served out his sentences in the Perm
Perm
Perm is a city and the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. From 1940 to 1957 it was named Molotov ....
political labour camps. He was first at No. 35 at Vsechsvyatskaya, but he was then moved to No. 36 in the village of Kutchino, Perm Region. While in prison, he took part in the resistance movement. He was involved with hunger strikes, the writing of appeals and the writing of chronicles of the two camps.
He was married to Iryna Kalynets who actively opposed the suppression of the Uniate Church and was a professor of Ukrainian language and literature at the Polytechnical Institute of Lviv
Lviv Polytechnic
Lviv Polytechnic National University is the largest scientific university in Lviv. Since its foundation in 1844, it was one of the most important centres of science and technological development in Central Europe. In the interbellum period, the Polytechnic was one of the most important technical...
. She also spent six years hard labour.
Honors
In 1992 Kalynets received the Shevchenko Prize, which is the most prestigious award for literary achievement in Ukraine. However, due to Soviet censorship and the fact that most of his poems were published in the West, his works are not widely read in Ukraine.The Order of Liberty
Order of Liberty (Ukraine)
The Order of Liberty is an award of Ukraine. The Order was instituted on April 10, 2008, by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to honour special merits of citizens for strengthening the Sovereignty and Independence of Ukraine, consolidating Ukrainian society, developing Democracy, advancing...
(2009).
Collections of Poetry
- Kupalo's Fire (1966)
- Poetry from Ukraine (1970)
- Summing up Silence (1971)
- The Crowning of a Scarecrow (1972) translated into GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in 1975 - The Awakened Muse (1991)