The First Step of Born by Ukraine
Lately, it has become “fashionable” in Ukraine to publish thick almanacs with profiles of prominent Ukrainians. But, on closer examination, it has become evident that what is written in the book about the contributions of half the characters towards building the Ukrainian state is at variance with what they really did.
But this does not apply to the memorial almanac, Born by Ukraine , part of the Golden Names of Ukraine series, presented February 25 at Ukraine House. Its two volumes (about 900 pages each) are dedicated to Ukrainians from Kyivan Princes Askold and Dir (9th century) to the poetess Anna Akhmatova and the painter Kazimir Malevych. The almanac’s pages embrace about a thousand names of our fellow countrymen, including statesmen, politicians, scientists, and artists whose work promoted the making of Ukrainian statehood and the development of education, research, and culture in Ukraine. The almanac is published in three languages — Ukrainian, Russian, and English. As the Ministry for Education and Science of Ukraine has recommended the almanac as a teaching manual, the print run of 50,000 copies will be handed over free of charge to all school, regional, district, and city libraries, as well as Ukraine’s diplomatic offices abroad, foreign diplomatic offices in Ukraine, to state, governmental, and parliamentary leaders, as well as to Ukrainian diaspora centers.
The project’s authors and implementers have received thanks from the President for their contribution to the reinforcement of the Ukrainian state. The almanac patrons won the Public Recognition award. Chairman of the organizing committee, People’s Deputy of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, said in his speech that “such publications are significant and show that Ukraine has begun to care about its glory.”
It will be recalled that the Golden Names of Ukraine series was founded to time with the 10th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. The past few years have seen the publication of such almanacs as Ukraine’s Outstanding Figures of the Past Centuries and The Golden Book of the Ukrainian Elite . The Public Recognition Foundation plans to publish The Golden Book of Ukrainian Art in the near future and The Golden Book of Ukraine on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.
