Творчий шлях Бориса Грінченка

Abstract

У статті окреслено найважливіші етапи творчого шляху Бориса Грінченка. Звертається увага на основні віхи життя письменника як поета, прозаїка, драматурга, перекладача, педагога, видавця, публіциста, критика, фольклориста, етнографа, мовознавця.

The essay attempts to outline the most important stages of Borys Hrinchenko’s creative work. It must be emphasized that Shevchenko’s poetry made a significant influence on the formation of the creative principles of the young author, and, after all, on his whole life. He became a defender of the Ukrainian national idea and a fighter for it on the field of Ukrainian word. With the official prohibition of education as a punishment for manifestation of revolutionary activity, Hrinchenko ardently started his self-education and developed a comprehensive cultural and educational program for himself. Subsequently, he began to write and publish books for common Ukrainian people and dreamt about a popular library for them. Having made his debut as a poet, B. Hrinchenko passed the exam for being an elementary school teacher. The result of more than a decade of his teaching (1881–1893) was a series of pedagogical research works and textbooks. The writer tried to raise the culture of the people, to prompt their social activity and promote civilized forms of life among them. The Chernihiv period of the writer’s life was the most productive for his cultural and educational work. More than 50 books for common people were issued in Hrinchenko’s publishing house (founded in 1894). His fruitful work in the fields of folklore studies and ethnography was reflected in the three volumes of stories, tales, legends and songs published under the title “Ethnographic materials collected in Chernihiv and neighboring provinces” (1895–1899). At the same time in Chernihiv B. Hrinchenko successfully worked as a writer. In particular, he wrote a remarkable dilogy “At the Dark of Night” (1900) – “Under the Quiet Willows” (1901). The hard work of Hrinchenko and his spouse Mariya Zahirnia in favor of the Ukrainian cause as well resulted in the catalog of the first Ukrainian national museum (“Catalog of the Ukrainian Antiquities Museum of V. Tarnovskyi, Compiled by B. Hrinchenko"). In 1902, Borys Hrinchenko moved to Kyiv with his family, intending to focus on the literary work only. However, the actual writing activity was again interrupted for almost two years by vigilant work on the completion of the 4-volume dictionary of the Ukrainian language, which remains an important source to this day.