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SPIRIT OF FLAME A COLLECTION OF THE WORKS OF LESYA UKRAIN KA* Translated by Percival Cundy. Foreword by Clarence A. Manning (320 pages. Book man Associates, New York, $5). xAt long last Lesya Ukrainka, the leading Ukrainian poetess, who writing in the shadow of death—because of her frail health -—pr6duced poetry of a quality which entitles her world wide re cognition, on par with the very best, at long last Lesya U krain ka, who died in 1913, has had some of her works published in English t r a n s 1 a t і o n, entitled "Spirit of Flame.” It is a beautiful book in content as w»ell as in appearance. The translation itself is a masterpiece. The late Dr. Percival Cundv, a Presbyterian minister whose in terest in Ukrainian literature was arous>ed in the late twenties in Canada, really outdid himself in this book, this despite the fact that before beginning on this work he had already to his credit very fine translations of Shev chenko and Franko, the two lead ing Ukrainian poets, as well as a numiber of stories written by lead ing Ukrainian writers. The Ukrainian National W om en’s League of America—“Soyuz Ukrainok Ameryky”—should be highly commended for bringing it into life, by sponsoring its prep aration and publication. This unique book is definitely a “must.” It should be on the book-shelf of every Ukrainian fa mily, in the public libraries, and it should be distributed as widely as possible among non-Ukrainian Americans. In such a fashion our fellow Americans will recognize the gen ius of this remarkable woman. They will then understand why Ivan Franko, a severe reviewer of literary talent and works, wrote as early as 1898, long be fore Lesya Ukrainka had attained the heights of her poetic expres sion, th a t: “Since Shechenko’s ‘Bury me and then arise, Break your chains asunder !* Ukraine has S pirit of F lame A COltVCTtO M OF THI W O R KS O f LESYA UKRAJNKA TmmloM by ^ rcbwt by Okewww Ж» Ммміпф not heard such a vigorous and vi brant message as comes from the lips of this fragile, invalid girl. It is true that the successors of Shevchenko have many a time ‘broken the chains' and prophesied of liberation, but their poems wrere generally mere phrase-m ak ing, a remastication of the tropes and images of the Great Kobzar and not of his thoughts . . .” Upon reading the book further they will understand why Prof. Manning in his foreword to it characterized her as “a m aster of the art of poetry, a superb tech nician in literature, and a woman endowed with genius,” and that she is a “figure who is of value not only to her own people but to world literature.” The greatness of Lesya Ukra- inka as a lvric poetess are exceed ed in greatness by her “dramatic poems,” a genre which she deve loped herself and used almost ex clusively from about 1902 on. The transition between the two forms may perhaps be indicated by a se ries of lyric-narrative po-ems, all of which contained a considerable element of the dramatic. W ith the passing of time, her Avork increased in brilliancy, and this especially during the closing and most trying years of her life. In June, 1911, at Kutais, Trans caucasia, she produced her mas terpiece, Forest Song, in the space of -three days, after having previously re-w ritten it three times in order to condense it. One critic wrote of this work that* “In truth, this is a symbolic drama of profound psychological interest, of an extraordinarily deep and tender lyricism, full of the rich treasures of native folk lore, most harmonious and music al. W ithout exaggeration, one can say that it is an outstanding cre ation, not only of Ukrainian lit erature, but of the world’s literat ure. It has already been compared with the similar works of Maeter- link and Hauptman and has em erged from the comparison with honor.” To us it also shows some affin ity to Shakespeare’s Midsummer N ight’s Dream. —Ukrainian Weekly. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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