Dmytro Pavlychko


Dmytro Pavlychko is a Ukrainian poet, translator, scriptwriter, culturologist, political and public figure.

Biography

Dmytro Pavlychko was born on September 28, 1929 in a lumber worker family living in the village of Stopchatove near the Carpathian Mountains. Today this place is near town of Yabluniv in Kosiv Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. In 1945-1946 years he spent about 12 month in Soviet prison for alleged accusations of participation in UPA activities. There he celebrated his 16th birthday. Later Andriy Malyshko teasing called Pavlychko a "Banderovite broth cook".
In 1953 Pavlychko graduated from Lviv University, worked in "Zhovten" Magazine. Coming later to Kyiv he worked in the office of the Writer's Union of Ukraine and in 1971-1978 as an editor at "Vsesvit" Magazine.
In his poetry works of Soviet period, first of which was published in 1953, Pavlychko presented himself as publicist and civil activist, though constrained by that time censorship and compromising with existing rules. For that literary work he was awarded the Shevchenko National Prize in 1977.
Besides writing own verses, he translated into Ukrainian language the poems of Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, José Martí, Nikola Vaptsarov etc.
Many of Pavlychko poems were used for songs, most popular and famous of which is "Dva Kolyory".
In late 80-s Dmytro Pavlychko was one of the founders of People's Movement of Ukraine, participated in the renewal of "Prosvita" Society as well as taking an active part in elaboration of the Act on Independence of Ukraine which was approved on August 24, 1991. In 90-s Pavlychko was the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland and Slovakia. Pavlychko was elected to the Ukrainian parliament in 1990-1999, 2005
He is an honorary Doctor of Science of Lviv and Warsaw Universities, professor of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Hero of Ukraine.

Awards