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[HALYNA KOROBOCHKA] Pryhody kachuryka. Tsikave opovidannia dlia ditei. Pereklad zladyla Halia Korobochka [The Adventures of the Duckling. An Entertaining Story for Children. Translated by Galya Korobochka]

Herts, B[enedykt]

Item #2616

Zhovkva: Vykonano v pechatni OO Vasyliian u Zhovkvi for M. Matviichuk, 1927. 23 pp., [1] ads., ills. 23 x 15,5 cm. Publisher’s illustrated wrappers. In Ukrainian. Very good. Bottom left corner of the rear wrapper restored. Owner’s contemporary inscriptions in ink and pencil on the title.

First Ukrainian edition.

The author of the original 1916 Polish Taśtaś: Jak kaczorek poznawał świat was Benedykt Hertz (1872–1952), a renewed writer and journalist who, following in the footsteps of Janusz Korczak, turned to the younger reader and completed prominent fables and chapter books. The story itself is a chain of bright, brave and jovial adventures, meaning to capture the short-spanned attention of the elementary school audience. The duckling meets a variety of animals, such as pigs, turkeys, and horses, and amid some tense dialogues, he tries to find common ground and form friendships, a pursuit that often works against him. No biographical data is available on the translator Halia Korobochka, aside the fact that the corresponding entry in Ilnitska (2016, 6358) mentions her full name as Halyna Skvarko-Matviichuk: possibly her being part of the publisher’s family. The translator’s work was criticised: in the philological periodical Ridna mova (1939, col. 227), a reviewer states that the brochure needs more “attention” as a subject to proofreading and provides 14 typos and errors in the book’s text, stating even that the list is not complete.
However, the reviewer does not mention nuances that do highlight today. The text features a noticeable amount of Galician dialectisms like bara bolia instead of kartoplia [potatoes], tilmy instead of tilky [only], se instead of tse [this]. And the title itself cannot be overlooked: kachuryk is a diminutive form of kachur [a drake, male duck] and a dialect variant for kachenia [duckling]. The original title is changed from Polish onomatopoeic Taś Taś [Quack Quack] into something as simple as kachurik—but the duckling is still called Tas in the text. Interestingly, the final variation of the title Pryhody kachuryka is slightly changed compared to the initial plans, as the rear wrapper mentions it was initially Pryhody neposlushnoho kachuryka [The Adventures of the Naughty Little Duck].
The story was seemingly popular as it appeared in numerous reprints and newer editions, also illustrated anew by Ukrainian artists. As such, another edition is mentioned in the US-printed 1938 Svoboda daily, in no. 149 for 1938, also in no. 24 for 1951. In a later diaspora book catalogue (1958, p. 6), an edition of Pryhody listed in the “series A” category, i.e. books for ages 0–6. The catalogue editor annotated the book as follows: “Here is a story about a little duck, his adventures and interesting discoveries among various friends and enemies, the animals. Every child listens with great attention!” An edition from 1965 appears in a New York-published Biblos Ukrainian bibliographic almanach, vol. 4–(115) for 1966, item no. 274. Some of the US-printed editions' ads mention that duckling is a “close relative” of Donald Duck, something that never ought to appear in any of the early editions as that iconic character was created only in 1934. This clever marketing trick aimed at the readers from migrant families, those from the New World, already acquainted with Disney’s heritage.

Price: $650.00