Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
: Іван Якович Франко, pronounced ">ˈwɑn ˈjɑkowɪtʃ frɐnˈkɔ 27 August 1856 – 28 May 1916) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and
literary critic
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
, journalist, interpreter, economist, political activist,
doctor of philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
,
ethnographer
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
, and the author of the first detective
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
s and modern poetry in the
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...
.
He was a political radical, and a founder of the
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
and
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
movement in western
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. In addition to his own literary work, he also translated the works of such renowned figures as
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
,
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
,
Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (, ; ; 17 January 160025 May 1681) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, writer and knight of the Order of Santiago. He is known as one of the most distinguished Baroque ...
,
Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
,
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
,
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...
,
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
and
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...
into Ukrainian. His translations appeared on the stage of the Ruska Besida Theatre. Along with
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukraine, Ukrainian p ...
, he has had a tremendous impact on modern literary and political thought in Ukraine.
Life
Franko was born in the Ukrainian village of Nahuievychi located then in the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
Drohobych Raion
Drohobych Raion ( uk, Дрогобицький район, translit: ''Drohobytskyi raion'') is a raion (district) of Lviv Oblast (region) of western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Drohobych. Population: .
On 18 July 2020, as part of the ...
,
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a wikt:Appendix:Glossary#relational, relational adjective—in Englis ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. As a child, he was baptized as Ivan by Father Yosyp Levytsky, known as a poet and the author of the first Galician-Ruthenian , and who was later exiled to Nahuyevychi for a "sharp tongue". At home, however, Ivan was called Myron because of a local superstitious belief that naming a person by a different name will dodge a death. Franko's family in Nahuyevychi was considered "well-to-do", with their own servants and of their own property.
Franko senior was reportedly to be a Ukrainianized German colonist, or at least Ivan Franko himself believed. That statement is also supported by
Timothy Snyder
Timothy David Snyder (born August 18, 1969) is an American historian specializing in the modern history of Central and Eastern Europe. He is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute f ...
who describes Yakiv Franko as a village blacksmith of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
descent. Snyder however stated that Ivan Franko's mother was of
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
petty
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
origin, while more detailed sources state that she came from an impoverished Ukrainian noble background, from the well-known Ukrainian noble family KulchytskyYaroslav Hrytsak. (2006) Ivan Franko - Peasant son? Україна: культурна спадщина, національна свідомість, державність vol. 15 and was remotely related to
Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny
Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny ( uk, Петро Конашевич-Сагайдачний; pl, Piotr Konaszewicz-Sahajdaczny; born about 1582 in Kulchytsi, today Sambir Raion – 20 April 1622 in Kyiv) was a Ukrainian Cossack political and ...
. According to Yaroslav Hrytsak, Ivan Franko was of mixed German, Polish and Ukrainian ancestry.
Ivan Franko attended school in the village Yasenytsia Sylna from 1862 until 1864, and from there attended the
Basilian
Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to:
* Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...
monastic school in
Drohobych
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban h ...
until 1867. His father died before Ivan was able to graduate from the gymnasium (
realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
), but his stepfather supported Ivan in continuing his education. Soon, however, Franko found himself completely without parents after his mother died as well and later the young Ivan stayed with totally unrelated people. In 1875, he graduated from the Drohobych Realschule, and continued on to
Lviv University
The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
, where he studied classical philosophy,
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state langu ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
. It was at this university that Franko began his literary career, with various works of poetry and his novel ''Petriï i Dovbushchuky'' published by the students' magazine ''Druh'' (''Friend''), whose editorial board he would later join.
A meeting with
Mykhailo Drahomanov
Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov ( ukr, Михайло Петрович Драгоманов; 18 September 1841 – 2 July 1895) was a Ukrainian intellectual and public figure. As an academic, Drahomanov was an economist, historian, philosopher, and ...
at
Lviv University
The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
made a huge impression on Ivan Franko. It later developed into a long political and literary association. Franko's own socialist writings and his association with Drahomanov led to his arrest in 1877, along with
Mykhailo Pavlyk Mykhailo or Mykhaylo ( uk, Михайло) is a Ukrainian given name, equivalent to English Michael (given name), Michael. Notable people with the name include:
*Mykhaylo Berkos (1861–1919), Russian and Ukraine artist of Greek origin
*Mykhailo Bo ...
and Ostap Terletsky, among others. They were accused of belonging to a secret socialist organization, which did not in fact exist. However, the nine months in prison did not discourage his political writing or activities. In prison, Franko wrote the satire ''Smorhonska Akademiya'' (''The Smorhon Academy''). After release, he studied the works of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
and
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels" '' Praca'' (''Labor'') and helped organize workers' groups in
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
. In 1878 Franko and Pavlyk founded the magazine '' Hromads'kyi Druh'' ("Public Friend"). Only two issues were published before it was banned by the government; however, the journal was reborn under the names ''Dzvin'' (''Bell'') and ''Molot'' (''Mallet''). Franko published a series of books called ''Dribna Biblioteka'' ("Petty Library") from 1878 until his second arrest for arousing the peasants to civil disobedience in 1880. After three months in the
Kolomyia
Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the admi ...
prison, the writer returned to Lviv. His impressions of this exile are reflected in his novel ''
Na Dni
NA, N.A., Na, nA or n/a may refer to:
Chemistry and physics
* Sodium, symbol Na, a chemical element
* Avogadro constant (''N''A)
* Nucleophilic addition, a type of reaction in organic chemistry
* Numerical aperture, a number that characterizes ...
'' (''At the Bottom''). Upon his release, Franko was kept under police surveillance. At odds with the administration, Franko was expelled from
Lviv University
The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
, an institution that would be renamed Ivan Franko National University of Lviv after the writer's death.
Franko was an active contributor to the journal ''Svit'' (''The World'') in 1881. He wrote more than half of the material, excluding the unsigned editorials. Later that year, Franko moved to his native Nahuievychi, where he wrote the novel ''Zakhar Berkut'', translated
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
's ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...
'' and Heine's poem ''Deutschland: ein Wintermärchen'' into Ukrainian. He also wrote a series of articles on
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukraine, Ukrainian p ...
, and reviewed the collection ''Khutorna Poeziya'' (''
Khutir
A khutor ( rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir ( uk, хутiр, pl. , ''khutory'') is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement.
Poetry'') by
Panteleimon Kulish
Panteleimon Oleksandrovych Kulish (also spelled ''Panteleymon'' or ''Pantelejmon Kuliš'', uk, Пантелеймон Олександрович Куліш, August 7, 1819 – February 14, 1897) was a Ukrainian writer, critic, poet, folklori ...
. Franko worked for the journal ''Zorya'' (''Sunrise''), and became a member of the editing board of the newspaper ''Dilo'' (''Action'') a year later.
Franko married Olha Khoruzhynska from
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
in May 1886, to whom he dedicated the collection ''Z vershyn i nyzyn'' (''From Tops and Bottoms''), a book of poetry and verse. The couple for some time lived in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, where Ivano Franko met with such people as
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl; hu, Herzl Tivadar; Hebrew name given at his brit milah: Binyamin Ze'ev (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish lawyer, journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer who was the father of modern p ...
and
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas.
It may refer to:
* Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia
* Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur
* Tomáš Berdych ( ...
. His wife was to later suffer from a debilitating mental illness due to the death of the first-born son, Andrey, one of the reasons that Franko would not leave Lviv for treatment in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
in 1916, shortly before his death.
In 1888, Franko was a contributor to the journal ''Pravda'', which, along with his association with compatriots from
Dnieper Ukraine
The term Dnieper Ukraine
(: "over Dnieper land"), usually refers to territory on either side of the middle course of the Dnieper River. The Ukrainian name derives from ''nad‑'' (prefix: "above, over") + ''Dnipró'' ("Dnieper") + ''‑shchyna'' ...
, led to a third arrest in 1889. After this two-month prison term, he co-founded the
Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party
The Ukrainian Radical Party, (URP), ( uk, Українська радикальна партія, УPП, ''Ukrajinśka Radykaľna Partija'') founded in October 1890 as Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party and based on the radical movement in wester ...
with
Mykhailo Drahomanov
Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov ( ukr, Михайло Петрович Драгоманов; 18 September 1841 – 2 July 1895) was a Ukrainian intellectual and public figure. As an academic, Drahomanov was an economist, historian, philosopher, and ...
and Mykhailo Pavlyk. Franko was the Radical party's candidate for seats in the
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
of Austria and the
Galicia Diet
The Diet of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, and of the Grand Duchy of Cracow was the landtag, regional assembly of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, a Cisleithania, crown land of the Austrian Empire, and later Austro-Hungarian Empire, Aus ...
, but never won an election.
In 1891, Franko attended the Franz-Josephs-Universität Czernowitz (where he prepared a dissertation on Ivan Vyshensky), and then attended
Vienna University
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public university, public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the Geogra ...
to defend a doctoral dissertation on the spiritual romance ''
Barlaam and Josaphat
Barlaam and Josaphat, also known as Bilawhar and Budhasaf, are legendary Christian saints. Their life story was based on the life of the Gautama Buddha, and tells of the conversion of Josaphat to Christianity. According to the legend, an Indian ...
'' under the supervision of
Vatroslav Jagić
Vatroslav Jagić (; July 6, 1838 – August 5, 1923) was a Croatian scholar of Slavic studies in the second half of the 19th century.
Life
Jagić was born in Varaždin (then known by its German name of ''Warasdin''), where he attended the el ...
, who was considered the foremost expert of
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ear ...
at the time. Franko received his doctorate of philosophy from
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
on July 1, 1893. He was appointed lecturer in the history of
Ukrainian literature
Ukrainian literature is literature written in the Ukrainian language.
Ukrainian literature mostly developed under foreign domination over Ukrainian territories, foreign rule by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poland, the Russian Empire, t ...
at Lviv University in 1894; however, he was not able to chair the Department of Ukrainian literature there because of opposition from
Vicegerent
Vicegerent is the official administrative deputy of a ruler or head of state: ''vice'' (Latin for "in place of") and ''gerere'' (Latin for "to carry on, conduct").
In Oxford colleges, a vicegerent is often someone appointed by the Master of a ...
Kazimierz Badeni
Count Kasimir Felix Badeni (German: ''Kasimir Felix Graf von Badeni'', Polish: ''Kazimierz Feliks hrabia Badeni''; 14 October 1846 – 9 July 1909), a member of the Poland, Polish noble House of Badeni, was an Austria-Hungary, Austrian statesman, ...
and Galician conservative circles.
One of Franko's articles, ''Sotsiializm i sotsiial-demokratyzm'' (''Socialism and Social Democracy''), a severe criticism of Ukrainian Social Democracy and the socialism of
Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 p ...
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
stance in a collection of poetry entitled ''Mii smarahd'' (''My Emerald'') in 1898, where he called Marxism "a religion founded on dogmas of hatred and class struggle". His long-time collaborative association with Mykhailo Drahomanov was strained due to their diverging views on socialism and the national question. Franko would later accuse Drahomanov of tying Ukraine's fate to that of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
in ''Suspil'nopolitychni pohliady M. Drahomanova'' (''The Sociopolitical Views of M. Drahomanov''), published in 1906. After a split in the Radical Party, in 1899, Franko, together with the Lviv historian
Mykhailo Hrushevsky
Mykhailo Serhiiovych Hrushevsky ( uk, Михайло Сергійович Грушевський, Chełm, – Kislovodsk, 24 November 1934) was a Ukrainian academician, politician, historian and statesman who was one of the most important figure ...
, founded the National Democratic Party, where he worked until 1904 when he retired from political life.
In 1902, students and activists in Lviv embarrassed that Franko was living in poverty, purchased a house for him in the city. He lived there for the remaining 14 years of his life. The house is now the site of the Ivan Franko Museum.
In 1904 Franko took part in an ethnographic expedition in the Boyko areas with Filaret Kolesa, Fedir Vovk, and a Russian ethnographer.
1914 saw publication of his jubilee collection, ''Pryvit Ivanovi Frankovi'' (''Greeting Ivan Franko''), and of his collection ''Iz lit moyeyi molodosti'' (''From the Years of My Youth'').
In the last nine years of his life, Franko seldom physically wrote, as he suffered from
rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...
which eventually paralyzed his right arm. He was assisted as
amanuensis
An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...
by his sons, particularly Andrey.
In 1916, Josef Zastyretz and
Harald Hjärne
Harald Gabriel Hjärne (2 May 1848, in Klastorp, Skövde – 6 January 1922, in Uppsala) was a Swedish historian.
Hjärne held one of the chairs of history at Uppsala University
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public re ...
proposed Franko for the 1916
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
, but he died before the nomination materialized.
Death
Franko died in poverty at 4 pm on 28 May 1916. Those who came to pay their respects saw him lying on the table covered with nothing but a ragged sheet. His burial and burial clothes were paid for by his admirers, and none of his family came to visit him. Franko was buried at the
Lychakivskiy Cemetery
Lychakiv Cemetery ( uk, Личаківський цвинтар, translit=Lychakivs’kyi tsvyntar; pl, Cmentarz Łyczakowski we Lwowie), officially State History and Culture Museum-Preserve "Lychakiv Cemetery" ( uk, Державний істор ...
in Lviv.
Soon after Franko's death, the world witnessed the creation of two Ukrainian republics.
Family
Wife
Olha Fedorivna Khoruzhynska (m. 1886-1941), a graduate of the Institute of Noble Dames in
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, she knew several languages and played piano, died in 1941
Children
* Andriy Franko (1887 - 1913) - died at 27 from heart failure.
* Petro Franko (1890–1941), an engineer-chemist, a veteran of
Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (german: Ukrainische Sitschower Schützen; uk, Українські cічові стрільці (УСС), translit=Ukraïnski sichovi stril’tsi (USS)) was a Ukrainian unit within the Austro-Hungarian Army d ...
, founder of the Ukrainian Air Force, a Ukrainian politician, a people's deputy in the
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
** Petro Franko had two daughters who after marrying changed their names
* Taras Franko (1889 - 1971), a veteran of
Ukrainian Sich Riflemen
Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (german: Ukrainische Sitschower Schützen; uk, Українські cічові стрільці (УСС), translit=Ukraïnski sichovi stril’tsi (USS)) was a Ukrainian unit within the Austro-Hungarian Army d ...
** Roland Franko (1931-2021), a Ukrainian politician, diplomat, a graduate of
Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
)
, image = NTUU KPI logo.png
, image_size = 220px
, caption = Seal of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
, established = 1898
, students = 36,000 (approximately)
, admini ...
, by his efforts in 1996 the United Kingdom freely transferred its Antarctic station Faraday to Ukraine later renamed into Academician Vernadsky
** Zenovia Franko (1925-1991), a Ukrainian philologist and an outstanding person of the Ukrainian nationalist movement in the times of the Soviet Union had sons
** Daryna Franko
* Hanna Klyuchko (Franko) (1892 - 1988), a Ukrainian writer, publicist, memoirist
Children in law
* Olha Franko, wife of Petro (above)
According to Roland Franko, his grandfather was tall, had a red hair, always wore mustache and the Ukrainian embroidered shirt ( vyshyvanka) even with a dress-coat.
Some of Franko's descendants emigrated to the US and Canada. His grand-nephew,
Yuri Shymko
Yuri Shymko (Cyrillic: Юрій Шимко, born September 6, 1940) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Party member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1978 to 1979 representing the downtown Toronto ...
, is a Canadian politician and human rights activist living in Toronto, who was elected to Canada's Parliament as well as the Ontario Legislature during the 1980s.
Literary works
''Lesyshyna Cheliad'' and ''Dva Pryiateli'' (''Two Friends'') were published in the literary almanac ''Dnistrianka'' in 1876. Later that year he wrote his first collection of poetry, ''Ballads and Tales''. His first of the stories in the ''Boryslav'' series was published in 1877.
Franko depicted the harsh experience of Ukrainian workers and peasants in his novels ''Boryslav Laughs'' (1881–1882) and ''Boa Constrictor'' (1878). His works deal with
Ukrainian nationalism
Ukrainian nationalism refers to the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and it also refers to the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The nation building that arose as nationalism grew following the French Revol ...
and history (''Zakhar Berkut'', 1883), social issues (''Basis of Society'', 1895 and ''Withered Leaves'', 1896), and philosophy (''Semper Tiro'', 1906).
He has drawn parallels to the Israelite search for a homeland and the Ukrainian desire for independence in ''In Death of Cain'' (1889) and ''Moses'' (1905). ''Stolen Happiness'' (1893) is considered as his best dramatic masterpiece. In total, Franko has written more than 1,000 works.
He was widely promoted in Ukraine during the Soviet period, particularly for his poem " Kameniari" (groundbreakers) which contains revolutionary political ideas, hence earning him the name ''Kameniar'' (groundbreaker).
Works translated into English
English translations of Ivan Franko's works include:
* "What is Progress";
* "How a Ruthenian Busied Himself in the Other World", "How Yura Shykmanyuk Forded the Cheremosh", "A Thorn in His Foot" and "As in a Dream";
* "Mykytych's Oak Tree, The Gypsies", "It's His Own Fault" and "The Forest Nymph";
* "Hryts and the Young Lord", "The Cutthroats", "The Involuntary Hero" and "The Raging Tempest";
* "Unknown Waters" and "Lel and Polel";
* "Fateful Crossroads";
* "For the Home Hearth" and "Pillars of Society";
* "From the Notes of a Patient", "The High Life" and "The Postal Clerk";
* "Amidst the Just", "Fatherland", "The Jay's Wing" and "William Tell".
* "Zakhar Berkut".
Legacy
In 1962 the city of Stanyslaviv in western Ukraine ( formerly Stanisławów, Poland) was renamed
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вськ, translit=Iváno-Frankívśk ), formerly Stanyslaviv ( pl, Stanisławów ; german: Stanislau), is a city located in Western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk O ...
in the poet's honor.
As of November 2018 on the Ukrainian-controlled part of Ukraine there were 552 streets named after Ivan Franko.https://texty.org.ua/d/2018/streets НА ЧИЮ
ЧЕСТЬ НАЗВАНІ
ВУЛИЦІ УКРАЇНИ? Texty.org.ua, 6 November 2018
He is also associated with the name Kameniar for his famous poem, "Kameniari" ("The Rock Breakers"), especially during the time of the
Soviet regime
The political system of the Soviet Union took place in a federal single-party soviet socialist republic framework which was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the only party permitted by the Co ...
. Although he was a
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
, his political views mostly did not correspond to
Soviet ideology
The ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was Bolshevist Marxism–Leninism, an ideology of a centralised command economy with a vanguardist one-party state to realise the dictatorship of the proletariat. The Soviet Union' ...
. On 8 April 1978, the astronomer
Nikolai Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х) (6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Степановича Черных'. Труды Государст ...
named an
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
in honor of Franko by way of this name, 2428 Kamenyar.
In the Americas, Ivan Franko's legacy is alive to this day.
Cyril Genik
Cyril Ivanovich Genik ( uk , Кирило Іванович Геник, 1857 – February 12, 1925) was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian-Canadians, Canadian immigration agent. He is a Persons of National Historic Significance, Person of National Histor ...
, the best man at Franko's wedding, emigrated to Canada. Genik became the first Ukrainian to be employed by the Canadian government – working as an immigration agent. With his cousin Ivan Bodrug, and Bodrug's friend Ivan Negrich, the three were known as the Березівѕка Трійця (the Bereziv Triumvirate) in Winnipeg. Imbued by Franko's nationalism and liberalism, Genik and his Triumvirate had no compunction about bringing Bishop Seraphim to Winnipeg in 1903 – a renegade Russian monk, consecrated a bishop on Mount Athos – to free the Ukrainians of all the religious and political groups in Canada who were wrangling to assimilate them. Within two years, the charismatic Seraphim built the notorious Tin Can Cathedral in Winnipeg's North-End, which claimed nearly 60,000 adherents. Today, the bust of Ivan Franko, which stands triumphantly on a pillar in the courtyard of the Ivan Franko Manor on McGregor St. in Winnipeg, looks fondly across the street. Two churches stood here, the first (this building has since been demolished) that Seraphim blessed and opened for service upon his arrival, before building his Cathedral. The second was the Independent Greek Church (this building is still intact) of which Ivan Bodrug became the head after Seraphim was removed. Franko's consciousness had been bold, and on the level playing ground of the new world, it served Ukrainians in Canada to find their own identity as Ukrainian-Canadians.
In 2019 a Ukrainian-American historical action film ''
The Rising Hawk
''The Rising Hawk'' (also called Fall Of A Kingdom in the UK) is a 2019 Ukrainian-American historical action film directed by John Wynn (filmmaker), John Wynn and co-directed by Akhtem Seitablayev. It is based on the Historical fiction, historical ...
'' with budget $5 million was released. It is based on the historical fiction book ''Zakhar Berkut'' by Ivan Franko.