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charge of the flower beds. They planted peonies, lilies, built bowers with flowering vines. The lilac and jasmine bushes grew luxuriously, but then everything grew abundantly, nurtured by the dampness of Volyn’. The berries were magnificent! Olha Petrivna would order various kinds of berries and plant them in a berry orchard. The black currants grew like small grapes. What beautiful strawberries, what black berries, what luscious apricots! They even planted peaches and wrap ped the trees to protect them against the frost during the winter months. During the summer Olha Petrivna would prepare many varieties of preserves so that there would be enough for the entire winter, both in the Kolodiazhne household and in Kiev where she went with the older children, while little Dora stayed on the estate with her father who was teaching her to read. He had a poetic nature and instead of using a school text, he taught the children to read from Gogol’s Maiska Nich, (May night), translated into Ukrainian by Olha Petrivna. The Kolodiazhne estate hosted many visitors during the summer months, for Olha Petrivna liked to be sur rounded by people. Modest Levytsky, a writer and a doctor by profession who lived in the area was a fre quent visitor. He was a conscientious physician and a sensitive individual. Ivan Franko stayed there at some length with his family, and his favorite pastime was crawfishing in small ponds. Other visitors were Myk- hailo Kotsiubynsky and Ivan Nechui Levytsky. It seems as if all the older generations of the Ukrainian literary world was drawn to Kolodiazhne, where they were sure to find a gracious hostess, magnificent greenery, crea tive discussion, music, songs... At times the guests would sing in a chorus, accom panied by a grand piano, or else an artist would render a Ukrainian romance song. One time someone sang a song to Ivan Franko’s words “ Endless field... Carry me, my steed, across the field...” When the song was fin ished and the pplause died down, Franko’s wife said “Oh God, my Franko wrote this! He’s afraid of horses!” The children grew up. At the age of eighteen Lesia was already a known writer, but everyone was con cerned about her failing health. Mykhailo was energetic and talented. “ Brilliant” was what his sister Olha said about him in her memoirs. These vivacious, talented young people mixed well with the guests and partici pated in literary games, contests. A theme would be suggested and everyone had to write a poem or a prose piece on that theme, signing it with a pseudonym. Olha Petrivna would then read one aloud and the audience would rate it, giving points, until a winner would be declared. Sometimes it happened that individuals who had never written anything, would win this contest over established writers. Thus Olha, a future doctor who had no ambitions to write, once won first place with her story “Vona” (She). Music was loved by all. Lesia played Chopin, Bee thoven. When Oskana grew up she also played the clas sical composers, while the aunts, remembering their youth, played old mazurky and waltzes. Many times the company would part in the evening, saying goodnight and go to sleep. Suddenly, through the open windows the sounds of a waltz would be heard. It was Aunt Sasha at the piano. And again young couples would twirl to the sound of the music. Olha Petrivna always had people around her when she worked — writing, editing or reading. She was not disturbed by conversation, singing, or the clamor of children. She wrote so much, translated and edited so much! She did an enormous amount of painstaking work, preparing a foundation for the future generations. In the 1880-90s the Ukrainian literary word fell on deaf ears in Russia. The Valuyevsky edict was in effect “ never was, isn’t and cannot be.” It was difficult to have anything else published, to get published material to the reader or even to find readers. The Ukrainian village population was mostly illiterate, while the Ukrainian intelligentsia was just beginning to emerge. The child ren of Olha Petrivna were the first who learned Ukrain ian during their childhood and read Ukrainian books. Since it was very difficult to publish books in East ern Ukraine, Olha Petrivna would send her stories and poems, as well as those of Lesia Ukrainka, to journals in Halychyna (Western Ukraine) such as “Zoria” and “ Dzvi- nok”. Nechui Levytsky, Hrinchenko, Starytsky, and Orest Levytsky were also published there. In her autobiography Olha Petrivna wrote: “ I became a constant contributor to Zoria due to the steadfast support of the editors who one by one wrote to me, encouraging me to write. Thanks to their letters I became a writer.” Through her brother Mykhailo Drahomaniv, Olha Petrivna established ties with people in Halychyna such as Ivan Franko and Pavlyk. Her circle of acquaintances expanded. Natalia Kobrynsky asked Olha Petrivna to help in the publication of “ Pershyi Vinok” (The First Wreath). Olha Petrivna bore half of the costs. The almanac was published in Lviv in 1887 and enjoyed great success. It contained only the works of women and stories dealing exclusively with women. Included were works of Olena Pchilka, Lesia Ukrainka, Ludmila M. Starycka, Hanna Barvinok, Dniprova Chaika. But the irony of fate! The short story of the then little known Olha Kobylanska was rejected, although Olha Petrivna fought to have it included. From 1890 the Kosach family would spend more time in Kiev. (Translated from Ukrainian) 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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