Poetry
Байки
Not translated into English
Leonid Hlibov · 1863
Synopsis
Thirty-six fables in verse, in the language of the villages. Wolves, foxes, dogs, sheep, insects and country folk play out small scenes in which the strong abuse the weak, judges let themselves be bribed and everyone thinks himself cleverer than his neighbour. The motifs come from folklore and from the life of the country at the time when serfdom was coming to an end, and each piece leaves it to the reader to recognise the men behind the beasts.
Context
The volume appeared in Kyiv in a series of readings for the people, in the very year of Minister Valuev's circular banning Ukrainian books intended for the people, and almost the whole print run was destroyed. The same year, the authorities closed the paper its author edited in Chernihiv, in which he dealt with schooling in the mother tongue and the education of girls. A second, expanded edition came out in 1872 in Chernihiv, from the zemstvo presses, and another in Kyiv in 1882; the censors prevented later ones. The author wrote one hundred and seven fables in all.
Who it is for
Short pieces in verse, easy to read aloud, in a language close to village speech and nourished by folklore.
Prizes and reception
The first collection by the man whom Ivan Franko regarded as the best Ukrainian fabulist, and whom the Ukrainian Encyclopedia places above all those of his century.
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