Literature / Література
Famous Ukrainian Writers
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Grigorovich Shevchenko (1814-1869) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, visual artist, folklorist, ethnographer, and political figure. His poetry is considered the foundation of modern Ukrainian literature. He was born a serf, but his talents earned him recognition by leading artists who eventually were able to free him. He wrote poetry in Ukrainian and prose Russian. He is considered Ukraine's national poet and is known as a part of Ukraine's anticolonial struggle.
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) was a Ukrainian writer and playwright. Some of his work, written in Russian, critiques the bureaucracy and corruption of the Russian Empire, specifically in St. Petersburg, and other works explore Ukrainian folk motifs. His work is attributed to the Romantic movement.
Some of his most famous works are the novels Taras Bulba (1835) and Dead Souls (1842), the collection of short stories Arabesques (1835), the play the Inspector General (1836), and the collection of stories Evening on a Farm Near Dikanka (1829-1832).
Ivan Franko
Ivan Franko (1856-1916) was a Ukrainian writer, poet, journalist, activist, and literary critic. His work is attributed to the Realist and Decadent movements. Though he wrote in a variety of genres, his novels and long narrative poems are seen as the height of his literary career.
Photo of Ivan Franko by СЕРП75ДНІПРО (Wikimedia Commons)
Ukrainian Literature Lesson Plans
Five Stalks of Grain
A lesson plan and other resources on Five Stalks of Grain, a graphic novel that explores tragedy and survival during the 1930s famine in Ukraine known as the Holodomor. This lesson plan was created using standards or 8th grade but can be expanded/altered to target other grades.
Lesson Plan and Resources
"The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol
"The Nose" is a short story written by Ukrainian author Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. It tells the tale of civil servant, Platon Kovalyov, who awakes one morning in March to discover that his nose is missing. When he ventures out into the city of St. Petersburg to contact the police, he sees his nose walking, talking, and wearing the uniform of a State Councilor. The absurd tale of the missing nose presents a comical critique of 19th century Russian society.
Lesson Plan and Resources
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