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Up to the age of ten national identity has not been realized. As years go by identification with a group becomes important. I want to point out that it is not only ethnic identity but also ones intellectual level that tends to separate an individual from the crowd. That is the reason many Ukrainians, as well as those with higher intellectual capabilities (in the mid-school years) tend to separate from the American social and community life. On the other hand, many people of that nature are lon ers by virtue of their character. Q: How long is the search process? A: Usually one tends to end the search for oneself and the national identity by the end of college. At that time a person is also in a better position to choose friends and a social group where Ukrainianism is accepted, or join those to whom this is irrelevant and is not an issue in any relationships. Q: What are the difficulties which stem from growing up with two cultures? Obviously, the good points of this situation should not be denied. What, in your opinion are the benefits which the two-culture system gives a young person? A: One of the benefits is an enlarged circle of friends and an expanded social life. Also, one develops a broader viewpoint, finds it easier to learn foreign languages and appreciation for other cultures. Americans do not have the knowledge of history, geography, the grasp of other cultures, etc., as we do. This knowledge serves us well in our social life, in our communities, in travel, and especially in business interactions, particularly interna tional commerce. Q: The process which molds a child into an adult takes about 20 to 25 years, the latter part crystalizing the adherence to national identity. Let us return for a mo ment to your childhood. Which experiences were posi tive in encouraging you to accept your cultural heritage? A: The atmosphere of my home played a big role in this. The house furnishings with a Ukrainian theme added to it. Feeling the Ukrainian spirit in my home had deep significance for me. Q: What are your viewpoints on marriage — Ukrainian and mixed? A: Successful mixed marriages are rare; it is easier to have a good marriage from two ethnic groups. I am all for a Ukrainian marriage. Our girls are brought up in a more conservative manner, therefore such a marriage will have a more conservative/traditional flavor and have a smaller chance of failing. It is important for me to marry a Ukrainian girl and my convictions on this issue are very strong. When I ask a Ukrainian girl for a date, my demeanor is serious, maybe even bordering on anx iety. At this point in my life I would not marry a non- Ukrainian girl, but... who can guarantee the future. Spending more time in Ukrainian social circles I find that the field of available marriage candidates is consid erably narrower. It is difficult to find your life’s mate, and I am sometimes afraid that I will never find my “ideal” among Ukrainian girls. This is not an easy prob lem to solve. Q: You are right, there is no simple prescription to remedy this problem. There is one more question. If you could weigh the positive and negative aspects of life within the embrace of two cultures and nations, which side would win. A: Without doubt the spiritual, intellectual and emo tional enrichment which a dual-culture system offers is worth the time, effort and the pressures. Q: Thank you for this interview. Congratulations for completing and accepting the analysis process which a dual culture/nation system presents. You have achieved it without harm to your professional career and with a great spiritual benefit. Lubomyra Krupa (free translation from Ukrainian) Only a few years ago or so, it seems, Natalia Livyts’ka- Kholodna was an eighty-year-old Ukrainian exile who lived out her life in New York in quiet solitude with her artist-husband Petro Kholodnyi, practically unknown to the general reading public. Students of Ukrainian literature knew, of course, that she was the author of two poetry collections which had attracted considerable critical attention in the 1930s; but that was half a century ago, and the two books have long since become bio graphical rarities. Livyts’ka remained aloof from 6migr6 literary life, did not participate in public poetry readings, and seldom published her work in Ukrainian 6migr6 journals. Her modesty and inactivity led to her relative obscurity. All this has changed in the last couple of years. Today, with the publication of Poezii, stari і novi (Poems Old and New), Livyts’ka is the most- talked-about, most-read, and most critically acclaimed living poet of the Ukrainian emigration. Poezii, stari і novi is apparently the author’s collected poetic oeuvre. Her first two books, Vohon’ і popil (Fire and Ashes; 1934) and Sim liter (Seven Letters of the Alphabet; Review of Poezii, stari і novi, a collection of poems by Natalia Livits’ka-Kholodna, published by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, 1986, was printed in World Literature Today, V 61, #4, 1987 pp. 653-4. The reviewer — Marta Tamawsky, University of Pennsylvania. Natalia Livits’ka-Kholodna, Poezii, stari і novi. New York. Ukrainian National Women's League of America. 1986. 238 pages +1 plate.
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