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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 200 8 12 Volodymyr Shalaga (1919 – 2001): Stories and Illustrations of Village Life in Western Ukraine by Hélèn e N. Tu rk ewicz-Sanko Throughout daily life, our Ukrainian sub- strata surfaces in manifold ways: through embro- idery, a pysanka with a familiar design, a postcard, art work, a piece of music, and occasionally a book. For many, the sight or feel of these sends thoughts to the land of our ancestors, followed by a feeling of loss, even a vague sense of betrayal. How many times, for example, have we heard Mykola Leontovich’s Carol of Bells used for American commercials? I wonder how many of those who have heard this now familiar music know he was Ukrainian and wonder, as well, who (if anyone) has received Leontovich’s royalties for the musical composition we know as “Shchedryk”? But we also experience loss in other ways, primarily because of the distance (both geographical and experiential) that divides those of us living in the diaspora from those living in Ukraine. Often, something gets lost in the translation or is lost because we do not know it exists. One example of the latter is a large book (13.5 inches × 9 inches × 1 inch) published in 2002 and entitled Shalaga Stories and Illustrations of Village Life in Western Ukraine . The text comprises brief statements and paragraphs illustrated with designs in pen and India ink, all faithfully reproduced in an English trans- lation. It is the sort of book you want to keep on your coffee table and leaf through with your grand- children or guests that would appreciate the crafts- manship that the work exudes. It took the author, Volodymyr Shalaga (1919 – 2001), a lifetime to complete the book. It took two very dedicated people to have it published in bilingual form: Barbara and Dick Shriver, directors of Center for International Management Education (CIME), a nonprofit organization created in 1990 to promote democracy and free enterprise in newly independent countries, among them Ukraine. 1 Volodymyr Shalaga was a native of the Staro Sambirskyi region, located in the most western corner of Ukraine, almost equidistant from the Polish and Hungarian borders, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. Additional details about his birthplace can be found in the introduction of this book, written by the editors: “Shalaga ‘territory’ is a small rectangle, roughly 30 miles wide by 50 miles long, in the westernmost corner of Ukraine. This territory is part of a larger region known historically as Halychyna. Halychyna encompassed four regions of modern Ukraine: L’viv, Ternopil, Ivano - Frankivsk, and Zakarpattya. The Carpathian Mountains run through Shalaga’s territory, with the northeastern foothills known as the ‘Prekarpattya’ (before the Carpathians) and the southwestern foothills, rolling down towards Moldavia and Romania, known as ‘Zakarpattya’ (beyond the Carpathians).” As the table of contents indicates, the book addresses all categories of human knowledge. Chapter 1, “Who Traveled the Roads and When,” includes a map of roads described in this album (about 40 pages). Chapter 2, is devoted to Pro- minent Sites of Staro Sambir Region, including archaeological sites, natural sites, springs, rivers, bridges, architecture, churches, and mills (about 70 pages). Chapter 3 moves into a personal realm with Recollections from My Childhood The remaining chapters are Winter in the Village (26 pages), Making Bread and the Agricultural Practices of our Grandfathers (about 30 pages), and Folk Art (about 35 pages). It is often difficult for a museum visitor to remember all the art work of every room. After a first general visit, the art lover is likely to return a second time to focus on one specific piece of art in each room. The same principle applies to this album. In the first part, Shalaga’s illustrations document the landscapes 2 and record historical events of the twentieth century. One significant map and enlightening captions 3 connect the Carpathian Mountains to two southwestern European countries: Greece and Croatia. Shalaga illustrates the Dniester River as a road from the Black Sea to the Carpathians Mountains, one that would have been traveled by the Greeks before Christ. He then informs us that a tribe of “WhiteCroats” inhabited 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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