“Tuning fork that always rings”

Each year on January 14, day of St. Basil, the prominent personalities with name Vasyl are remembered: Vasyl Stus, Vasyl Symonenko, Vasyl Chumak, Vasyl Ellan-Blakytny. They all were born around Orthodox Christmas time. The ceremony of awarding Vasyl Stus Prize also takes place on that day. However, this year it marked the anniversary of another significant event: 40 years ago mass arrests of young Ukrainian intellectuals took place. On January 12, 1972 a wave of repressions began that aimed at putting an end to the existence of the resistance movement.

This year’s prize winners are poetess Iryna Zhylenko (for poetic book and memoirs Homo Feriens), historian Volodymyr Viatrovych (for disclosing secrets of the Soviet secret police and topical journalistic work Istoria z hryfom “sekretno” (Classified History)), and human rights activist Yevhen Zakharov (for long-term systematic work in the sphere of human rights and publishing activity, particularly, for the third part of International Biographical Dictionary of Dissidents. Ukraine).

The award was established by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Intellectuals in 1989. For the first time it was awarded in Lviv. Since 1990 it received the capital status. The prize is awarded to writers, artists, scientists, and public figures, who have outstanding achievements in their field, have a distinct civil position, and are actively present in Ukrainian cultural space. There have been nearly 60 prize winners up until now.

“The prize is awarded to those who meet the spirit of the time and whose name is in harmony with the name of Vasyl Stus,” added Yevhen SVERSTIUK, who is, by the way, one of the initiators of establishing the award. Thus among the winners is the name of Iryna Zhylenko, perhaps the author of the book of the year. Talented work about a whole generation – generation of the Sixtiers. Volodymyr Viatrovych is a young and promising historian. He often represents Ukraine abroad on international forums. Yevhen Zakharov is an extremely hard-working and dedicated person.

“In our time the Vasyl Stus Prize means a tuning fork that always rings,” summed up Sverstiuk.

Volodymyr VIATROVYCH:

“It is the second award that is extremely important to me. The first one – the Order of Ivan Mazepa was given to me in 2010. The thing is that for me Vasyl Stus is one of the most heroic personalities in Ukrainian history. Besides, it is a great honor to receive the award from his fellow in arms Yevhen Sverstiuk – a person, who has become a living testimony of how human faith and spirit can be undefeated. Obviously, I realize that this award is both a great encouragement and obligation.”

Iryna ZHYLENKO:

“This prize is extremely important for me. Stus is one of friends from my youth years. We communicated a lot both when we were young and later on. When he was still a young man he told my husband that with my work I performed an ethical deed. It wasn’t a political view – I am a lyrical poet anyway. I remember, when after a long period of silence, my second book with poems written long time ago came out in print. The criticism of ‘fellow writers’ was heard from everywhere saying that how could I write happy poetry, when it was the year 1972 outside – the year that marked the beginning of arrests of young creative intelligent people… At that time Stus wrote in one of his letters how he liked the mentioned book. I thought back then that probably the feelings in a camp must be more real than those in people who lived in Lviv or Kyiv.

“I am quite an old person. I am indifferent to any awards, except for this one. I highly respect the poet. Ukrainians must have future if our land gave rise to a person like Vasyl Stus. I am sure there will be more like him.”

TO THE POINT

Stus Museum on the verge of extinction

LitAktsent reports, referring to RegioNews, that the only museum in Donetsk region dedicated to poet Vasyl Stus is on the verge of extinction these days. Its founder, 75 year-old pensioner Oleh Fedorov decided to give the museum to the state, however, this idea wasn’t appreciated by anyone. Fedorov spent 15 years gathering material about the Ukrainian poet, who became a victim of the totalitarian regime.

For five years Fedorov corresponded with relatives and friends of the poet to collect personal belongings, letters, and manuscripts of poems. Ten years ago he opened a museum. For all this time the museum was functioning at the expense of the pensioner. “During this time I provided for all the needs of the museum from my pension money. On average I spent half of my pension on museum maintenance of the museum,” said the founder and the owner of the museum Fedorov.

Fedorov rents two rooms in a dormitory and pays utilities from his pension money. Sponsors help to pay the salary to the museum’s methodologist. Regional officials, whom Fedorov offered to take care of the museum, sent him to the local officials in Horlivka, where the museum is located.

“We have made calculations that it will cost nearly 170,000 hryvnias per year. The funds that were allocated to culture this year have been already distributed for the needs of cultural institutions. This is not a very big sum of money but still we’d have to see if we could get it from the budget somehow,” said Tamara Kharkhadinova, head of Culture Department at Horlivka City Council.

City Council of Horlivka suggested that Fedorov could pass the exhibits of the museum to the local library, but the museum employees do not agree to that. Fedorov is looking for caring owners for his museum.