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[IAZYCHIE LANGUAGE, TYPOGRAPHY] Biblioteka Novogo Galichanina. Sbornik literaturno-gumoristichnyj [i.e. Library of the New Galician. Literary and Humorous Selection of Texts].

[Poljans'kij Petr, (ed.)]

Item #2607

Lviv: Iz tipografii Instituta Stavropigijskogo, pod Upravleniem I. Puhira for Redakciya "Novogo Galichanina", 1889. 88 pp., Ills. in text. 15,5 x 11 cm. Period library half-cloth. In Iazychie, printed using accented pre-1917 Russian alphabet. Overall good condition. Rubbing of the front board, extremities bumped, corners worn. Publisher’s paper covers preserved. Streaks of inactive mould throughout the upper part of the block, restored. Numbers in pencil on the title, in pen on p. 2. A pasted down paper sticker and owner’s inscription in walnut ink on the front endpaper, both stating that the book belonged to Evsevyi Hrushkevych. Library sticker on the front endpaper and rubber stamps on the front endpaper, title, pp. 35, 59, noting the book was held at Biblioteka Tovaristva Prosvita u L'vovi prior to 1917.

Vseukrains'ke tovarystvo Prosvita im. Tarasa Shevchenka [Pan-Ukrainian Prosvita society after T. Schevchenko], est. 1868, was a Galician Ukrainophilic organisation that propagated enlightenment and education based on Ukrainian national culture rather than Russian or Polish. Promoting literacy and national self-awareness, it simultaneously fostered a nation-wide political mindset that advocated for the independent Ukrainian state. The society funded printing of 1000’s of titles, with a summary run of over 3 mln copies.

Evsevyi Hrushkevych (Pol. Euzebiusz Gruszkiewicz, 18??-1890), whom the book initially belonged to, was a wealthy sponsor of Prosvita society. It is known that right before his death Hrushkevych contributed 30 000 Austro-Hungarian gouldens to Prostiva: a very large sum that can be very roughly estimated as over $2mln in today’s dollars. This formidable endowment energised artistic and educational activities in the region. The book was most probably a part of Hrushkevych library that was gifted to Prosvita society after he passed away. The almanach is fully composed using an artificial language called Iazychie. As the back in XIXth ct. Western Ukraine was a semi-autonomous Austrian- Galician region, the discussion of national identity of Rusyns and their future was a topic of heated discussion. One group of those discussants were russophiles: educated intellectuals, interested in strengthening the connection with Russia on all levels. In the literary division of the almanach, we find 13 exciting examples of Iazychie. Roughly half of the text is written or translated by Poljans'kij. The almanach starts off with some folk songs and verses by the authors like Yvan Hushalevych (1832–1903) and unknown authors like Favstyna Halychanka (pseudonym?) who contributed original poetry as well as two T. Moore translations, verses that probably were attractive in their patriotism to the Rusyns. For prose, some short stories, a historical note on Japanese monarchical traditions tied to the local Sullivan’s Mikado opera premiere and translated excerpt from German novelist H. Rosenthal-Bonin’s piece on the dangers of opium is also provided. A rather detailed biographical note on a Slavic & Bulgarian historian Yuryi Venelyn (pseud. Georgius Hutza, 1802–1839) shows the author’s effort to find Rusyn national identity and put his folk into a historical perspective. The importance of such an outlook is marked with a Venelyn’s portrait on p. 4.

Aside from that literature, the edition is especially interesting for its illustrations that look inventive even by today’s standards. The cover design incorporates text into a folk embroidery pattern depicted with such limited means as simple b&w squares, something that resembles modern pixel art. Those patterns are not an accident: they were described in the Novy Galichanin within ethnographic studies, also used as an outlay for the design of the headpieces, initials and drop caps in the periodical itself. The overall contents of the book is lavishly vignetted, a hodgepodge of four typefaces used on the title with inventive stylish initials throughout the text. Overall, despite its 18mo format, with a Chernogorka by František Zvěřina (1835–1908) reproduction on pp. 24-25 spread and a Mikado opera stage photograph on pp. 84–85 spread, the book is designed attractively in a brisk and lively manner of a little feastбdespite still being relatively cheap in production. The humour section starting on p. 77 evokes laughter, making fun of local politics and quietly continuing on the anti-Polish, anti-Jewish and pro-Russian narratives. Those drawings are signed P.P. which brings us to the conclusion that they were made by Petr Poljans'kij himself. However, the pinnacle of the edition’s inventive design is a short poem Typohrafskaia shutka [Typographic joke] on p. 79. It plays around with typographical symbols and vignettes. In a bold and outstanding move, they are deliberately used not as a decor, but as a part of the verses, substituting the words on the end of each line. This is surprisingly fresh, if not revolutionary, for any Cyrillic book of the
late XIXth century.


Rare. Not in KVK. OCLC finds a single copy at University of Illinois Library, USA. According to the National Bibliography of Ukraine, a copy is present at only one Ukrainian library, Naukova Biblioteka LNU im. Ivana Franka.

Price: $2,000.00