Valeriy Shevchuk Ukrainian writer of the sixties Date of Birth: 20.08.1939 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Valeriy Shevchuk

Valeriy Alexandrovich Shevchuk, a prominent Ukrainian writer and member of the Sixtiers literary movement, is known for his mastery of psychological prose. He was born on August 20, 1939, in a shoemaker's family in Zhytomyr, Ukraine.

After graduating from school in 1956, Shevchuk initially wanted to become a geologist, but he became disillusioned with the field and instead enrolled in the Forestry Institute. However, he did not attend and returned home. He worked as a construction assistant at the Zhytomyr Agricultural Institute during this period, and developed a passion for literature, particularly Ukrainian literature. Books such as D. Bahalei's "Hryhoriy Skovoroda - Ukrainian Wandering Philosopher" and the works of I. Franko made a significant impression on the future writer.

In 1957, Shevchuk completed technical school and began working at a concrete plant. In 1958, he entered the History and Philosophy Faculty of Kiev University. During his studies, he became involved with literary studios such as "Sech" (named after V. Chumak) and "Molodiy," where he wrote poetry and started writing novellas in 1960. In 1961, Shevchuk made his debut with a short story called "Nastenka" about T. Shevchenko in the collection "Venok Kobzaryu" published in Zhytomyr. In the spring of 1961, the literary studio "Sech" published a wall newspaper called "Zapev" which featured Shevchuk's story "Something Desires" (later titled "A Few Minutes Before Evening" in the collection "Valley of Springs"). This story received strong reactions, including a critical response in the university newspaper "Za Sovetskie Kadry." Shevchuk faced expulsion from the university due to the "Zapev" newspaper, which depicted T. Shevchenko with green mustaches. Although he was interrogated by the KGB, the artist who drew the newspaper was ultimately expelled. In 1961, Shevchuk wrote 18 short novellas and his first article, "S. Vasylchenko in the Korostyshiv Seminary," for a collection published in Zhytomyr. The following year, he wrote 20 novellas, some of which were published in magazines such as "Otechestvo" and "Literaturnaya Ukraina." Some of his works were translated into other languages, and one novella, "She Waits for Him, Waits," was even adapted into a film by I. Zhylyk (a student work).

After graduating from university, Shevchuk was assigned to work as a correspondent for the newspaper "Molodaya Gvardiya" in Zhytomyr. In November, he was conscripted into the army and served in the Murmansk region. During his military service, he resumed writing poetry and continued working on prose.

He returned home in 1965, just as mass political arrests were beginning among the Ukrainian intelligentsia. He participated in a protest against the mass repressions at the "Ukraina" cinema. In September, he found a job in the scientific-methodical department of museum studies, located in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (impressions from this work are reflected in the story "Pigeons Under the Bell Tower"). In 1966, he completed the novella "Bowing Cross," which reflected his impressions of student life. His brother was arrested during this time, and Shevchuk was forced to resign from his job. His brother's arrest was due to his decision to print an article about the trial of Pohruzhalsky as a personal memento at a printing house. As a result, his brother was sentenced to five years in a strict regime labor camp.

In 1967, Shevchuk's book "Among the Week" was published, and he became a member of the Union of Writers of Ukraine. In 1969, he wrote the novella "Golden Grass" (published in 1984) and the first version of the novella "The Sea," which he revisited in 1980 and made final edits in 1983. He also wrote historical and folklore-fantastic stories, articles, and published the book "An Evening of Holy Autumn," which contained eight new stories. During the difficult 1970s, his works were rarely published, so he was forced to write "for himself." From 1979 to 1999, Shevchuk published numerous books, including "The Rooster's Cry at Dawn" (1979), "Valley of Springs" (1981), "Warm Autumn" (1981), "In the Peaceful Field" (1983), "House on the Hill" (1983), "A Small Evening Intermezzo" (1984), "Colors of the Autumn Garden" (1986), "Three Leaves by the Window" (1986), "Stone Echo" (1987), "Birds from the Invisible Island" (1989), "The Road of a Thousand Years" (1990), "The Flower Lady" (1990), "From Peaks and Valleys" (1990), "Path in the Grass. Zhytomyr Saga" (2 volumes, 1994), "In the Belly of the Apocalyptic Beast" (1995), "Cossack State. Studies on the History of Ukrainian Statehood" (1995), "The Abyss's Eye" (1996), "The Snake Woman" (1998), "Youths from the Fiery Furnace" (1999), "A Demon in the Flesh" (1999), and others.

In 1986, Shevchuk was awarded the title of "Honored Figure of Polish Culture," and the following year, he received the Shevchenko Prize for his novel "Three Leaves by the Window." Since 1988, Shevchuk has been the leader of the historical club "Letopisets" at the Union of Writers of Ukraine. In 1999, he was awarded the "Order of Yaroslav the Wise" V degree. As of today, Valeriy Shevchuk is a professor at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a leading presenter of historical and social annual programs on Ukrainian Radio, including "Cossack State," "Kyiv, Cultural and State," "Mysteries and Secrets of Ukrainian Literature," and "Interesting Literary Studies."

Shevchuk is a recipient of the State Prize of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko, the Antonovych Foundation Prize, literary prizes named after E. Malanuk, O. Pchilka, A. Kopylenko, and I. Ohienko, as well as the Prize in the field of humanities "Recognition" (2001). He has authored around 500 scientific and journalistic articles on literary history, and is a researcher and translator of modern Ukrainian language works of ancient Ukrainian literature.