“Two voices are good for a song, but bad for politics”
It would hard for unprepared readers to grasp your complete oeuvre, because it is not only vast but also profoundly philosophical in many respects. Have you found your audience, people who understand all your messages? Have you found understanding in the new generation of readers, considering that our young people are described as very skeptical and distrustful?
“The longer I live, the better I understand that my readers are actually people my age. Even those older than I am are also my readers, in a way. I would dearly love to have younger readers, but I can see that our young people seek understanding with their peers. This is only natural.
“I think I shouldn’t complain. Even under the Soviets I managed to have works published about which I don’t feel ashamed today. Thanks to composers, some of my poems became songs, among them ones that are known across the world. In fact, I received a letter from Japan with hieroglyphs — their version of my Dva koliory (Two Colors). I’m grateful to Oleksandr Bilash [for his music].”
What’s on your mind now that you’re marking your jubilee? Are there things that make you happy or sorry?
“I feel being cared for. This, in turn, makes me feel responsible. Also, this is an extremely worrisome period for me, as everything I was born and have lived for is in jeopardy. I mean our state and our freedom. I’m saying this out loud for all Ukraine to hear. I want to be heard; I want everyone to realize the great danger that’s approaching us. The current Russian leadership refuses to accept the democratic achievements in Eastern Europe, including on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the time has come when the Decembrists, national liberation movements among people enslaved by the tsars, and movements that played a role in the liberation of the Russian people are no longer respected in Russia.”
Isn’t it our inner weakness that allows the Kremlin to rudely meddle in our affairs?
“As a state, we must speak in one voice. Two voices are good for a song, but bad for politics. I agree with what Yurii Shcherbak said on your pages. He has thoroughly analyzed the situation in Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. Everything that happens between Ukraine and Russia has a direct link to the world process.
“The United States made Ukraine surrender its nuclear armaments (I clearly remember the way it happened, because I was chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s foreign affairs commission at the time) and we complied, giving up our intercontinental nuclear weapons. And what about tactical nuclear weapons? We believed that during the period of construction of a Ukrainian state the moods of our big Russian neighbor would change. Now we hear that we need a new kind of superprecision weapons. We could have retained our tactical nuclear weapons, but we gave them to Russia. At the time the United States was scared to have Ukraine as a member of the world’s nuclear club. Now that we’re having problems with external security, the States prefers to keep silent. That’s politics for you. Well, let’s keep discussing literature.”
You said previously that younger readers seek authors their age. However, I can’t say that you don’t have young people among your readers. Besides, your poems are included in the school literature textbooks. I remember your visit to the Ostroh Academy (I was then a student) and how everyone was very impressed by your speech and your poems. Apparently, every author conveys a message with every work. Which of your messages would you like to be answered in the first place?
“That’s a very good question. Not so long ago I published several short stories in Literaturna Ukraina. It was a surprise for my readers, so I would like to hear their impressions. It so happened that I dedicated a great many poems to political subjects. Looking back, I realize that deep inside I am a lyrical storyteller, so I would like my lyrical poems to be better known to people.”
