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[SHEVCHENKO’S UNPUBLISHED POEM] Maryana Chernitsa. [i.e. Maryana the nun]

Shevshenko, T.G.

Item #1966

A manuscript copy from the original. [Ukraine], 1906. 16 p. 21x13 cm. Fine condition. This manuscript copy was made from the author’s manuscript in 1906, when the poem was still unpublished, and the text was preparing for the publication.

The original of the poem was known to be kept by A. Korsun, the editor of the almanac ‘Snop’, however it was never published at the time of creation (1840s). In 1861 the celebrated Ukrainian educator Panteleimon Kulish (1819-1897) has printed another version of this poem in his Ukrainian language periodical ‘Osnova’, although claiming he didn’t see the original and asked Korsun to bring him the cope, however that never happened. The version printed in ‘Osnova’ was not authorized as it turned out later consisted only part 1 of the poem.

The first edition of the text version of the poem came out in 1914 in Saint-Petersburg, together with ‘Kobzar’. It became possible after the son of A.A. Korsun made the copy of the manuscript and gave it to the editors. This copy is likely to be created by Korsun himself.

Together with the manuscript the article is enclosed by Leonid Biletsky (1882-1955), Ukrainian pedagog and literature historian, one of the founders of the history of Ukrainian drama. The article is dedicated to the story of publication of ‘Maryana Chernitsa’, the differences in text and literary analysis. The 22 page article is an extract of the magazine from the 1930s.

The article begins with the following statement: ‘The text of ‘Maryana Chernitsa’ suffered so much in its life, what is very characteristic with the works on our poet’s works, but also it happened because it was placed in the wrong hands, that disliked Ukrainian poetry’.

The poem itself is now regarded as a key verse piece in Ukrainian literature. The text written by the most important poet of Ukraine Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) in 1841 in Saint-Petersburg tells the story of unhappy love of the rich girl and an orphan. Later Maryana refused to marry the rich groom and decided to become a nun. The story has been traditionally used as an example of female strength in Ukrainian cultural tradition.

Price: $6,500.00