Lesya Ukrainka

Who is Lesya Ukrainka?

Lesya Ukrainka was the pen name of Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka, born on 25 February 1871 in Novohrad-Volynskyi. She came from an intellectual family: her mother was the writer and activist Olena Pchilka, and her uncle was the scholar Mykhailo Drahomanov. From the age of about ten she suffered from tuberculosis of the bones, which caused lifelong pain and forced constant travel to warmer climates. Despite this she became one of the foremost Ukrainian writers, mastering many languages and producing lyric poetry, verse dramas, and translations. Her best-known works include the early poem 'Contra spem spero!', the dramatic poems 'Cassandra' and 'The Stone Host', and above all the lyrical drama 'The Forest Song' (Лісова пісня, 1911), rooted in Ukrainian folklore. She died on 1 August 1913 in Surami, Georgia, while seeking treatment. Her image appears on Ukrainian currency and her plays remain central to the national theatrical repertoire.

Sources: Lesya Ukrainka, 'Лісова пісня' (The Forest Song), 1911 · Lesya Ukrainka, 'Contra spem spero!', 1890 · Encyclopedia of Ukraine (CIUS), entry 'Ukrainka, Lesia'