The Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University joins its colleagues in the UK and Ukraine to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lesia Ukraïnka’s birth.
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Born in Zviahel (now Novohrad-Volynskyi) on February 25, 1871, as Larysa Kosach-Kvitka (later assuming the pen name Lesia Ukraïnka), she was a talented and prolific poet, writer, and translator who is recognized as one of Ukraine's literary greats.
The complexity of her work—ancient tropes, complex meter, etc—make it particularly challenging to translate in a way that conveys both meaning and form.
To mark the sesquicentennial, the Ukrainian Institute–London has opened a translation competition, calling for submissions of Ukraïnka’s works translated into English. The winning translations will be published in autumn 2021 and the winning translators will receive a prize of £250 at the award ceremony. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2021. See more details here.
Halyna Hryn, editor of the journal Harvard Ukrainian Studies and an acclaimed translator, will serve as one of the judges, joined by Sasha Dugdale and Uilleam Blacker. In an independent process, HURI will consider the strongest submissions for a possible publication of full-length translations of Ukraïnka’s works.
Continuing the celebration into the Fall, HURI is planning an event that will foster a scholarly discussion of Ukraïnka’s works, her legacy, and her importance within Ukraine’s literary and cultural tradition.
The Ukrainian Book Institute is marking the occasion with a massive 14-volume publication of her uncensored works (in Ukrainian).
Join us in celebrating Lesia Ukraïnka by learning more about her life and work, supporting greater availability of her writing in translation, and attending events inspired by her 150th anniversary.