Category: Slavonic

Beautiful Ukrainian donations : the April 2024 Ukrainian item(s) of the month

On By europeancollectionsIn Slavonic, Ukrainian, New AcquisitionsLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to receive a donation of five lovely books from the Kharkiv-based publisher Oleksandr Savchook and the organisation Progress-14.

The five donations add to the 12 Savchook titles we had previously bought and which were published between 2014 and 2021.  The five new publications, which reflect the core strengths of Mr Savchook’s publishing house in terms of their concentration on the arts, were published in 2022 and 2023 and make very welcome additions to Cambridge’s Ukrainian collection. Continue reading “Beautiful Ukrainian donations : the April 2024 Ukrainian item(s) of the month” →

Kyivan Christianity – 14 new volumes : the March 2024 Ukrainian item(s) of the month

On By europeancollectionsIn New Acquisitions, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

While the Ukrainian Christmas largely joined the western Christmas in 2023, this Easter will still see a substantial difference, with the western churches celebrating Christ’s resurrection in March and Ukrainians celebrating in May.  Nevertheless, the Easter weekend for most in Cambridge seems a good time to mark the arrival of many new volumes in the Kyivan Christianity set.

illustrations from volumes 20, 29, 31

Continue reading “Kyivan Christianity – 14 new volumes : the March 2024 Ukrainian item(s) of the month” →

Postage stamps : the Ukrainian item(s) of the month

On By europeancollectionsIn New Acquisitions, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

Books about stamps are not a huge business in modern purchasing at the University Library, but they can be incredibly interesting to more than the dedicated philatelist.  We recently bought two volumes about Ukrainian stamps more for the principles and attitudes reflected in the stamps than for the images themselves.  What inspires a government agency in its selection of images?  It’s a particularly keen question when it comes to a country whose last 10 years have seen parts of its territory overtaken by illegal annexation and ruined by a growing war.

Continue reading “Postage stamps : the Ukrainian item(s) of the month” →

24.02.2022 in the words of Ukrainians

On By europeancollectionsIn English, New Acquisitions, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

Today Ukrainians remember the shock of the air strikes in the early hours of 24 February 2022 that heralded Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country and mark the appalling destruction and loss that continue to this day.  A great deal has been written across the world about Russia’s move from the previous 8 years of conflict to this open war (“special military operation”) but in this post we focus on what has been written specifically by Ukrainians, including new translations into English.

Interest in the Ukrainian language outside the country leapt following Russia’s assault, as awareness of Ukrainian culture and identity grew and as those working with and hosting refugees from the war worked to gain at least basic knowledge of the language.  But the many resources we collect in the UL in Ukrainian to capture Ukrainians’ experience of the devastating war will still have a fairly small audience, so we try to pick up translations into English as much as possible too, so that all our library readers have the chance to hear directly from those facing the attack.

Continue reading “24.02.2022 in the words of Ukrainians” →

Ukraine, 20 February 2014, and a decade of the Russo-Ukrainian War

On By europeancollectionsIn English, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

The 20th of February is full of significance for Ukraine, and this post looks at new library material about the events it recalls.

February 2014 saw the culmination of the Euromaidan protests in the Revolution of Dignity and also the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.   The 20th specifically saw both the greatest loss of life in Kyïv during the Revolution with over 20 protestors killed by the security services and also the start of Russia’s armed invasion of Crimea which would soon be followed by the outbreak of war in the east of Ukraine.  With the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine coming this Saturday, it would be easy to roll the anniversaries together but it’s important to acknowledge separately the events of 2014 and contemplate the fact of a decade of war, occupation, and lost lives.

Continue reading “Ukraine, 20 February 2014, and a decade of the Russo-Ukrainian War” →

Ukrainian ceramicist Olʹha Rapaĭ-Markish : the January 2024 Slavonic item of the month

On By europeancollectionsIn New Acquisitions, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

The 2018 publication Olʹha Rapaĭ-Markish arrived in Cambridge later that same year but I only recently managed to take a proper look.  Olʹha Rapaĭ-Markish (also known as Olʹha Rapaĭ or the anglicised Olha/Olga Rapay), 1929-2012, was a Ukrainian artist most known for her ceramics, large and small, and this book explores her often tragic life and her delightful work.  [Note that her father, Peret︠s︡/Peretz Markish, the major Yiddish writer who was shot in Moscow in 1952 during the Night of the Murdered Poets, features in the book, and that we have other books by/about him here.]

It’s impossible to do justice to the book’s reproductions of the artist’s work with only a phone camera, but hopefully the images here give some kind of tempting idea.  Rapaĭ-Markish’s work ranged from the large-scale (featuring in and on several buildings in Kyïv) but this book’s reproductions focus more on her small-scale work, especially the wonderful figurines she produced, full of life and joy – and cats (the book includes a photo of the artist with her cat muse).  This is our only book about Rapaĭ-Markish’s work, and definitely worth calling up to consult in the UL.

Mel Bach

Lev Rubinshteĭn (1947-2024) : an anti-war Moscow poet with Ukrainian Jewish roots

On By europeancollectionsIn Russian, SlavonicLeave a comment

This week saw the death following a road accident of the poet and activist Lev Rubinshteĭn (Rubinstein).  Rubinshteĭn is most closely associated with Russia and especially Moscow, where he lived and died and and whose son he was most famous as through his status as one of the founders of Moscow conceptualism.  Yet while Russia’s dissident and artistic scenes have lost a shining light through his death, Ukraine has also lost a friend (he consistently spoke out against Russian aggression again Ukraine) and a son too: Rubinshteĭn was born in Moscow to Jewish parents who both came from Ukraine. Continue reading “Lev Rubinshteĭn (1947-2024) : an anti-war Moscow poet with Ukrainian Jewish roots” →

The vyshyvanka returns

On By europeancollectionsIn New Acquisitions, Slavonic, UkrainianLeave a comment

This week, we look at a newly arrived and beautifully illustrated book about Ukrainian embroidery in terms of the vyshyvanka, the traditional decorated shirt that I wrote about in 2022.

“–A i︠a︡ svoi︠u︡ vyshyvanku d’ sert︠s︡i︠u︡ pryhortai︠u︡…” : kolekt︠s︡ii︠a︡ vzirt︠s︡iv narodnoï vyshyvky z fondovoï zbirky uz︠h︡horodsʹkoho skansenu =
My vyshyvanka is close to my heart… : a collection of folk embroidery samples from the stock collection of the Uzhhorod scansen is a bilingual Ukrainian-English catalogue written by Vasylʹ Kot︠s︡an and Teti︠a︡na Solohub-Kot︠s︡an.  It is based on a collection held within the wider Zakarpatsʹkyĭ muzeĭ narodnoï arkhitektury ta pobutu (Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life).  Our copy describes itself as a second edition, but from what I can see, Cambridge currently holds the only copy of any edition in any UK or US academic library. Continue reading “The vyshyvanka returns” →