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[A FEMINIST CARPATHIAN PERIODICAL FOR THE VILLAGE] Dlia silskoho zhinotstva. Bezplatnyi dodatok do chasopysu “Zhinocha Dolia”. (Osibno vykhodyt pid nazvoiu “Zhinocha Volia”) [For Village Women. Free Supplement to the “Zhinocha Dolia” Periodical. (Titled “Zhinocha Volia” if published separately)]

[Olena Kysilevska, editor]

Item #2625

Kolomiya: Drukarnia M. Boichuka for Redaktsiia chasopysu “Zhinocha Dolia”, 1933—1934. Nos. 4–12, 13/14, 15–22, 24 for the Year II (1933). Nos. 1–11, 14, 15/16, 17–21, 23 for year III (1934). a total of 38 issues. 8 to 12 pages. All 22.5 x 18 cm. In Ukrainian. Very good. Loose, uncut issues. Appear to originate from a personal collection, with each one bearing a specific shelf–mark in pen, on the front page: N02406H–N02412H, N02414H–N02424H and N02425H–N02443H for the years 1933 and 1934 accordingly. The majority of the nos. are 8 pages — aside nos. 10, 13/14 for the 1933 and nos. 2, 4, 6, 7, 15/16,17, 20 for the 1934 which are all 12 pages. Some leaves unevenly cut. No. 8 for 1933 has pencil marks throughout; no. 23 for 1934 shows some printing flaws and minor tears.

Most issues are with photo–illustrated front page, occasionally also feature commissioned drawings. One especially interesting cover is of no. 19 for 1934: it features a photograph of a variety of contemporary, newly issued Ukrainian editions on a book fair stand, most with modernist or constructivist covers. Other photographs and art repros usually refer to recent cultural events, such as T. Shevchenko anniversary, a feminist club meeting, introduction of a newly built village chytalnia [reading room] etc.

Despite the changing publication frequency (from biweekly to monthly and back again), the issue structure usually follows a more or less strict recurring pattern. International news are present, but are short and not analysized, while such topics as the care for the newborn, hygiene and history are covered considerably broader. But what belongs exclusively to the Carpathian traditional way of living are the recipes of the dishes. There is little original design in the issues, however, the humorous section Shcho rozkazuie kuma Yavdokha [What had Yevdokha said?] features a vignette signed V. Las, standing for Volodymyr Lasovskyi (1907—1975), a Lviv–based artist, who, by WWII, as many, left the Soviet sphere, moved to the West and stayed a devoted diaspora activist.
The original Zhinocha Dolia [Woman’s Fate] was set up and run by Carpathian lifelong feminist and educator Olena Kysilevska—Simenovych (1869—1956), who followed this call upon joining Ruskyi zhinochyi kruzhok, a pioneering Western Ukrainian women union which more was like an intellectual club rather than a politically–fuelled suffrage movement.
Kysilevska as an early community activist, starting her enlightenment women–centric publishing first in 1893. She also managed a number of almanacs and satellite editions like the present one. The primary Zhinocha dolia was in print from 1925 to 1939 as a monthly or as a biweekly, with voluminous supplements. The total number of additions and separately issued almanacs, guides and cookbooks by the Zhnocha dolia exceeded 15 titles.

And while Kysilevska looked more into educated city intelligentsia, the present editions showcases attention to the rural readers. This is highlighted by the lack of complexity of the language, less sophisticated topics and the general attitude of a gentle, horizontal communication, filled with humor and care. Despite the narrow audience, local focus and a run lower than a couple of thousand copies, the edition could be labelled as novel, progressive, evolutionary if not transformative. By its editorial policies, it — although with a stretch — can be compared to the Central European periodicals focused not on serving the elitist “Neue Frau” trope, but more down-to-earth and optimistic editions like French Le Petit Écho de la mode or German Blatt der Hausfrau. The literary divisions provide excerpts, poetry of noted Ukrainian revival era writers as well as some contemporary writers. Some local history essays, regular fictional characters appearing with news, gossip, household advice “from the first hands”: something that is typical for Western Ukrainian periodical niche as a whole. The occurring proposals for the enlightenment activities are explained with care, warmth and nuance. This newspaper invokes a feeling of an intimate gathering at evening on the outskirts of the village fair; not a screaming demonstration at Moscow Red square or a cosmopolitan salon in Berlin.
The issues are filled with rich dialectal lexicon with occasional catchphrases. Those are not found in modern language — but a show a tightlyknit connection of Carpathian communities with the Western Europes. As such, khosenni in the meaning of Ukrainian korysni [useful] deriving from Hungarian haszon, poprava instead of the modern polipshennia [change for the better] is a direct linguistic borrowing from Polish poprawa [improvement]. The habitual naming of local companies also adds a hint of the oral tradition: Molocharnia for Maslosoiuz cooperative union, sil v otsi as taken from Polish sól w oku [a salt grain in the eye, i.e. a nuisance]. Later in the publishing history the issues became less regular but packed with articles, with up to 16 pages. The run of Zhinocha Dolia continued till 1939, this supplement till at least 1938. The edition had a real impact on the readers. Years later after the final issue appeared, an anecdotal evidence indicate that Oswiencim Nazi camp prisoners Lida Hoianiuk, Daria Kharzhevska and Mariika Horbachevska created aa humorous handwritten prisoner journal Zhinocha nedolia [Women's plight] that was an ironic homage to the Zhinocha Dolia (Savchuk, p. 229).


Rare. WorldCat finds scattered issues in two Slovenian libraries, a similarly large holding at the British library, Harvard University Library, Columbia University Libraries, University of Toronto Library. No institutional holdings in KVK.

Price: $2,500.00