7_Preface to an Unpublished Edition of Kobzar
Context
- Author(s): Taras Shevchenko
- Date of Publishing: 1847
- Historical Placement: Taras Shevchenko was part of the same movement as the previously mentioned Mykola Kostomarov, the "Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius". He was very fond of his Ukrainian homeland and resented Tsarist rule. He was very concerned with the erosion of its culture and identity, so he dedicated his life's work to positively contribute to it through poetry.
Summary
The preface starts by recognizing that Ukrainians don't seem to publish anything in their own language, and questioning why that is. It's first route for explanation is mockery from the Russians, which it dismisses as unwarranted and uninformed.
To explain that, it elaborates on the depiction of Ukrainians in many popular works as unruly, uncivilized savages. This is not enough for an accurate understanding of the Ukrainian people, and the author advises real contact with them.
The author's own argument is that both peoples have their own language, and should use it. Addressing those that bring up examples of Nikolai Gogol as a positive counterexample, he says that Gogol is not a real Ukrainian, as Gogol grew up in Russia, and also brings up examples from other countries, where writers stayed true to their native tongue while remaining great.
He then decries those that choose to abandon their mother tongue (referred to quite literally) out of convenience, declaring that this is an act of madness. Mockingly, he brings up how some writers added an extra "v" to their surname to sound more Russian.
They have exchanged their own good mother for a useless drunkard, and they have added a v'° to their surnames.-Towards an Intellectual history of Ukraine (page 102)
The text concludes with an appeal to write in Ukrainian, and an acknowledgement to those that already do.
Takeaways
- Shevchenko quite aggressively lashes out against Russians who claim superiority over Ukrainians.
- He pairs that with a critique of Ukrainians that are willing to go along with this narrative, and especially those that directly mold themselves to it.
- There is a direct comparison between Russia and Great Britain as empires, ruling over other nationalities.
- Remaining loyal to your native homeland is associated with a strong positive moral connotation.
"A great sorrow has enveloped my soul. I hear and sometimes I read: the Poles are printing and the Czechs and the Serbs and the Bulgarians and the Montenegrins and the Russians - all are printing. But from us not a peep, as if we were all dumb." -Towards an Intellectual history of Ukraine (page 102)
Source
Ralph Lindheim & George Luckyj (eds.), Towards an Intellectual History of Ukraine: An Anthology of Ukrainian Thought from 1710 to 1995 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996), pages (101-104).
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