Lesia Ukrainka

Larissa Kossach (pen-name Lesia Ukrainka) was born in Novgorod-Volynsky on February 25, 1871 which is now in Zhytomir Region. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a Ukrainian writer (pen-name Olena Pchilka). Her sister was married to Mykhailo Dragomanov, a scholar, public figure and political é migré, who was to play a great role in Lesia's life.

When Lesia was nine, her parents moved to the town of Lutsk and settled at an estate near Kovel. Because of weak health and the absence of school with instruction in the Ukrainian language, Lesia received education at home. She had a remarkable aptitude for the humanities.

Lesia's close ties with distinguished public and cultural figures of her time played a positive role in her formation as a poet. Apart from Dragomanov and Franko, the Kossaches' friends included the composer M.Lysenko, the poet, playwright and one of the founders of the Ukrainian professional theatre M. Starytsky, the bibliographer M. Komarov, and the poet V. Samiylenko. Such a milieu made Lesia try her hand at writing poetry early. At the age of nine she wrote her first verses, and at 13 her first poem was published in the Lviv magazine “Zoria”. From then on her poetry appeared regularly in the Ukrainian publications.

Unfortunately, the outset of her literary career coincided with the first symptoms of what was then an incurable disease — tuberculosis of the bones. Her poor health made her travel from one warm country to another — Vienna, Crimea, Italy, Georgia, Egypt.

In 1893 her book of verse, “On Wings of Songs”, was published. It was favorably received both by the readers and critics. Then followed her books of verse “Thoughts and Dreams”, “Responses”, which earned her, alongside I.Franko, a leading place in Ukrainian literature at the turn of this century. Just then she turned to playwrighting. Her first works of drama were based on subjects from the Bible. Among her best plays are " The Forest Song" and " The Stone Host".

Beginning with 1894 Lesia lived in Kiev. Here she started learning foreign languages. Later on she read and spoke English as well as Ukrainian. With a full command of German, French, Italian and English she could write not only prose, but also poetry in all these languages.

L.Ukrainka died on August 1, 1913 in Georgia, and was buried in Kiev. Her works reveal the dominant feature of her talent — exceptional public sensitivity and the ability to grasp and express in vivid images the idea the idea and tendencies of her time.