Vasyl Symonenko’s 80th birthday anniversary
An exhibition opens in Kyiv, and a premiere is presented in Cherkasy. Authors of both succeed in capturing “the essence of the era”
“A lot of Vasyl Symonenko’s lines are relevant in our times. Despite his young age, he was a genuine medium and had an excellent sense of the time. When reading works by Shevchenko, Franko, and Symonenko, we find parallels with the modern times, with what we are going through now. They are spiritual leaders, spiritual models,” writes vasylsymonenko.in.ua quoting words of head of the Cherkasy Oblast Council Valentyna Kovalenko, who personally knew Symonenko. “On the one hand, they warn with their words, so we do not fall into the abyss. And on the other, they give us energy for freedom.
“For me, Symonenko is a person who created the world within himself and the world around himself. He was a modest person and a true Ukrainian patriot. If he were alive now, he would probably be in eastern Ukraine, on the frontline with his camera and notepad. Symonenko for me is an example of deep archetypal Ukrainian identity, and of spiritual courage, the thunder that awakes us and the whole nation.
“2015 is Symonenko’s year, the year of our nation’s unity and courage. I hope it will be favorable for Ukraine.”
On January 8 (on Symonenko’s birthday), Among the Quiet and Thunder premiered at the Cherkasy Drama Theater. It is a biographical play about the poet’s life. This documentary history was written and directed by Serhii Proskurnia, and the leading role was played by amateur actor Yaroslav Lytvyn, who resembles Symonenko in appearance.
Before the performance, Vasyl Symonenko Literary Prizes were awarded on the theater’s stage, gazeta.ua informs. They were received by this year’s winners: Kyivite Olha Prokhorchuk was awarded in the nomination Best Poetry Collection, and Serhii Pantiuk in Best Fiction Work (each received 15,000 hryvnias).
After the premiere director Proskurnia said he believed that “it became possible to capture the essence of the epoch in the play due to the fact that it is documentary history. Documents, chronology are at work here, life and creative work are mixed up together. I took no risks picking an amateur actor to play the leading role. Symonenko was an outsider in his environment. Yaroslav is different from professional actors. The entire play is based on this difference. Only Symonenko’s works and memories were used in the play’s script.”
By the way, from now on the play Among the Quiet and Thunder will adorn the repertory of the Cherkasy Theater.
On January 10, an exhibition “Ukraine... You Are My Age-Old Despair” opened at the Ukrainian Museum of Books and Book Printing. The exhibition includes editions of Symonenko’s poems which were published in Ukraine and abroad (in Ukrainian emigration circles), script autographs, lifetime and posthumous newspaper and magazine articles, typewritten and handwritten copies of illegal samizdat of the 1960s and 1970s, artists’ graphic works, autographs of famous culture and science figures for Symonenko’s poems, which were collected by master of micro-miniature Mykola Siadrysty, photos, etc.
Famous writers, Symonenko’s friends, colleagues, and researchers of his creative work took part in the exhibition’s opening, the choir Homin performed, and the poet’s unforgettable voice sounded. The exhibition will be open through February 9.
