“Pavlychko is a cultural phenomenon!”

Ivan DRACH, poet:

“Dmytro Pavlychko is now practically isolated from the media. We watch, hear, and read about other people who are portrayed as leading representatives of our society. The fact remains that Pavlychko emerges as a giant figure in our modern history. He has a great meaning in the history of our poetic art, literary translation, journalism, and, last but not least, politics. Without him I cannot imagine the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Language Society, Vasyl Stus Memorial Society, and the Rukh.

“Our history knows such persons who are lyrical and civic poets at the same time: Shevchenko, Kulish, and Franko. Every period in history produces a certain kind of individual, a certain kind of poet. Our generation of the Sixtiers had to be active in every sphere, from journalism to poetry to politics. Ukraine should look back 20 years, when we were starting the Rukh, trying to figure out what kind of society we had to build. At that time there were different ideals, a different situation, and a different attitude to it. Eventually, all those ideals and efforts went topsy-turvy. Now practically all political structures worship the golden calf. We must return to that world outlook, because man must be human and profess the ideals reflected in religion and philosophy.”

Roman LUBKIVSKY, chairman, Taras Shevchenko National Prize Committee:

“Dmytro Pavlychko will go down in Ukrainian history as Dmytro Pavlychko. This is the main thing. His name needs no comment, explanation, kudos, or assessment. It marks an entire epoch – painful, complicated, and controversial as it was – in the life of Ukraine. Why was it controversial and complicated? Because he was destined to survive three – Polish, German, and Soviet – occupation regimes. He did not merely exist under those occupation regimes. He lived, matured, and waged a struggle.

“Those periods in his life had an impact on all of his oeuvre. And so there are certain aspects to his creative heritage that are sometimes hard to comprehend for a modern individual. Yet this is what makes Pavlychko so interesting; he stepped into the modern times from the past and will remain a spectacular personality in the future, as a man of letters and a public and political figure.

“Some writers experience reassessment. For example, an author can win acclaim in his epoch, but with time his praise will be reduced to a brief encyclopedic entry. In the case of Pavlychko, his acclaim appears to be growing with time, because he is not just a litterateur who illustrates things. He creates them and influences the times — the way his great predecessors Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, and Lesia Ukrainka did.

“There were authors who sunk into oblivion precisely because they never tried to influence the times, situations, or their readers. One shouldn’t accuse Pavlychko of paying tribute to certain realities, personalities, and trends, because he has outgrown them all. Doubtlessly, these aspects are tragic for him, yet in 1944 he wrote a poem and recited it at a gala soiree at the National Opera. It sounds quite modern. It is deep-reaching, not superficial.

“Pavlychko is not heard and accepted only by people who are not living a culturally saturated life or by those (quite a few) of his colleagues who envy him.

“Pavlychko has produced a staggering amount of translations. None of the modern Ukrainian classics, except Maksym Rylsky, can boast so many diversified translations. Let me stress that translations are part of his oeuvre. He opens for us deep strata of neighboring and remote cultures. Only Franko, Rylsky, Bazhan, and Kulish could work that way, which precisely the reason why Pavlychko ranks with them.

“He cares not only about his name. At one time he was the one to discover Bohdan-Ihor Antonych for Ukraine. That poet was totally forgotten, remembered probably in America or in what was then Czechoslovakia. Pavlychko offered his interpretation of Antonych, as he did of his contemporaries, among them such complicated individuals as Dovzhenko, Honchar, and Malyshko, who were not to the liking of many and whose main strength, effort, and talent were aimed at showing Ukraine for the world to see not as a decorative geographical space but as a force capable of improving and influencing the European and world space. That is why Pavlychko is perceived as part of this space.

“He has been my teacher. Even though I may have a biased attitude to him in terms of daily life, I am convinced that his is the most spectacular figure in modern literature. He has crossed the boundaries of time and accomplished the impossible, considering the opportunities he received from his mother, nature, and God.”

Petro KRALIUK, first vice rector, Ostroh Academy National University:

“For me Pavlychko is in a sense a reflection of the epoch of mild totalitarianism, with periods of “thaw” [under Khrushchev], stagnation, selective repression of dissidents, and so on. Naturally, as any other epoch, it had its pluses and minuses. One can likewise discuss the pros and cons of Pavlychko’s creativity — their special reflection, to be precise.

“Forced compromises notwithstanding, Pavlychko has always been a champion of the Ukrainian tradition, trying to raise it to a high level and integrate it into the world context. It was easier said than done in conditions of what could only be described as occupation, when Ukrainian culture was purposefully marginalized.

“Pavlychko has written a number of really good poems and translations. Owing to his dedicated efforts. [a Ukrainian version of] Shakespeare’s complete collection of works appeared in print. In the 1970s he was the editor of the Vsesvit journal that competed with Inostrannaya literature (not so today, unfortunately). I remember our colleagues in other Soviet republics envied us such a periodical with translations of foreign literary works. For me, Pavlychko’s Vsesvit was a ray of light in the dark stifling ideological atmosphere of the stagnation period.

“There are many examples of good things Pavlychko did for our culture in the difficult period of stagnation, as well as the equally hard years of our independence. In fact, it is largely thanks to such people as Pavlychko that our culture has survived and is still alive. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them.”

Yurii SHCHERBAK, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine:

“I have known Dmytro Pavlychko for more than 50 years. We first met when I was a student at Kyiv Medical Institute and worked for a student newspaper. He visited our institute with a delegation on some festive occasion. A young handsome and talented poet with a head of thick black hair, he was an instant success with all the girls.

“We made friends and it was a strange kind of rapport between two young men with different social origin and mentality. Anyway we liked each other and shared our big love for Ukraine. I instantly sensed that there was much more to the man than just a poet. Pavlychko is a cultural phenomenon. He started as a poet and then reached far above the poetic realm.

“He and I also share our love for Poland, which is a good example for Ukraine in terms of state building. I remember our visit to Poland shortly after the abolition of Wojciech Jaruzelski’s martial law. We were witness to the beautiful period of Poland’s revival. We realized that there were people capable of resisting the communist regime in Poland.

“We went to the Museum of the Slask Uprising (i.e., the uprising against the German authorities during the conflict between Poland and Germany in 1920, which was triggered by the Slask issue). What we saw there was strongly reminiscent of what happened in Ukraine in 1918–20. Among the items on display were propaganda leaflets and weapons.

“I still vividly remember The Days of Polish Poetry in Kremenets. The Juliusz Slowacki Museum was opened on Pavlychko’s initiative and he did a great deal for the development of Polish-Ukrainian relations. As Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, he arranged for the construction of a monument to Shevchenko in the center of Warsaw. Considering Polish mentality, it is hard to imagine the time and energy it cost him.

“His posting to Slovakia was also a success. Pavlychko played an extremely important role in Ukraine’s foreign policy. He was chairman of the VR foreign affairs committee. His clear-cut stand was invariably aimed at protecting the national interests of Ukraine.

“Needless to say, he is an accomplished poet and publisher of Ukrainian works. He spotted talent and helped publish hundreds of books by young poets; he made an anthology of Russian classics in Ukrainian. It was an incredibly dedicated effort.”

“The unique soiree commemorating Pavlychko’s 80th birthday was held under the motto of national unity. Among those present in the concert hall of the National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine were the president and the prime minister, despite the fact that it is virtually impossible to see the two of them together. The atmosphere in the audience cannot be expressed in words. In the finale, as the celebrated singer Dmytro Hnatiuk started the unforgettable Dva koliory, I couldn’t help crying.”