Taras Shevchenko

Who is Taras Shevchenko?

Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko was born on 9 March 1814 in the village of Moryntsi in the Kyiv Governorate into a serf family, and was orphaned as a child. His artistic talent was recognized while he worked as a servant, and in 1838 a group of artists — including Karl Briullov and the poet Vasily Zhukovsky — raised money to buy his freedom from serfdom. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. In 1840 he published 'Kobzar', a collection of poems that became foundational to modern Ukrainian literature, followed by 'Haidamaky' (1841). His writing championed the Ukrainian language and denounced serfdom and imperial oppression. For his membership in the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius he was arrested in 1847, exiled into military service, and personally forbidden by Tsar Nicholas I to write or paint. He died on 10 March 1861 in Saint Petersburg and was reburied on Chernecha Hill near Kaniv.

Sources: Taras Shevchenko, 'Kobzar', 1840 · George S. N. Luckyj, 'Shevchenko's Unforgotten Journey', 1996 · Pavlo Zaitsev, 'Taras Shevchenko: A Life', trans. G. Luckyj, 1988