Cultural and temporal phenomena
There are 64 nominees for the Shevchenko Prize this year, compared to more than 30 in 2007. Among the most prominent nominees are the conductor Vasyl Vasylenko and stage director Vasyl Vovkun (for the opera Bohdan Khmelnytsky); artist Volodymyr Harbuz (“Colors of Homeland” series); stage director Oleksandr Dzekun and actor Volodymyr Petriv (for Berestechko, a play based on Lina Kostenko’s novel); artist Kost Lavro (illustrations to Ukrainian literary classics); writer Halyna Pahutiak (novel The Servant from Dobromyl); writer Vasyl Shkliar (novel The Key), to mention a few. The vocal group Pikardiiska tertsiia (concert programs Anthology, Vol. 1, Anthology, Vol. 2); Folk, Z Neba do Zemli (From Heaven to Earth), and Oleh Skrypka, the organizer of the ethnic festival Kraina mrii (Dreamland), are also among this year’s nominees.
The Day asked the writer Mykhailo Slaboshpytsky, one of the members of the Shevchenko Prize Committee, to comment on the list of nominees.
Slaboshpytsky: First, the fact that the number of nominees has increased leads one to the conclusion that it is clearly time to change the procedural methods. We still have that Soviet populist element, where someone nominates someone or prospective nominees look for someone to nominate them. Instead, I think we should set up a council of experts, the way they do in the West. Experts must determine which three or five works are genuine phenomena. It must be their exclusive prerogative to submit works to the Shevchenko Prize Committee for consideration and voting.
Second, it is no secret that not all the works on the list are competitive. It’s good that we are no longer bound by instructions as to how many prizes must be awarded for music and how many for literature. I think there will be many collisions this year. As usual, there will be more than just creative factors at play. Some of the nominees will be regarded as moral authorities, but there are a couple of dozen true names for which I would be happy to vote.
Third, I am very glad to see Oleh Skrypka’s name among the nominees. I believe this marks a new stage in the creative life of this prize. What Skrypka does is phenomenal in terms of culture and the times.
We must realize that tradition does not always mean strength. I think that the very nomination process should be changed. In addition, there should not be any nationwide discussion because if you follow popular choices, then you will have to confer the prize on the “singing rector” Mykhailo Poplavsky, not on the brilliant composer Yevhen Stankovych. After all, few people are familiar with his symphonies, because they represent elite art. I have written a book about the Nobel Prize. You know, all the awards have been accompanied by scandals and there are always many people who are dissatisfied.
