Oleksa Storozhenko


Oleksa Storozhenko was a Ukrainian writer, anthropologist, playwright and criminalist.
Storozhenko began writing in the 1850s. Many of his works are based on Ukrainian folklore and stories from lives of Ukrainian peasants. He initially wrote in Russian. In 1861 Oleksa Storozhenko became known as Ukrainian-language writer. His works were published in Osnova journal. However, measures undertaken by the Imperial Russia’s agencies enforcing the Valuev Circular became the reason why Oleksa Storozhenko had to continue his writings in Russian.
Storozhenko’s style of writing is marked by earthy Ukrainian language and picturesque representation of the folk proverbs, anecdotes, sayings and songs. The leading topics of his works are: Ukrainians’ everyday life, customs, folklore and demonological believes, historical events, particularly kozaks and Zaporozhian Sich.
Novella Zakokhanyi Chort and novel Marko Prokliatyi are fine examples of Gothic-Romantic literature. Literary critics find parallel between Storozhenko’s Devil in Love and Le Diable Amoureux by the French gothic author, Jacques Cazotte.
1858 – Rasskazy iz Krestyanskogo Byta Malorossiian.
1857 – Bratiya Bliznetsy.
1861 – Zakokhanyi Chort
1863 – Ukrainski Opovidannia.
1870 – Marko Prokliatyi Оnly two first chapters of the novel were published during Storozhenko’s life.
Storozhenko’s other titles include: Vchy linyvoho ne molotom a holodom, Mezhyhorodskyi did, Vusy, Holka and Matusyne Blahoslovennia.