The most famous works of Ivan Franko. Ivan Yakovlevich noted with spiritual glee in one of the articles he wrote in Russian: “The peasant deputies began to speak out against the landowners with extreme harshness, and in addition, after just a few meetings

After graduating from school, he studied at the gymnasium and worked along the way to ensure his life after the death of his parents. Higher education in the biography of Ivan Frank began in 1875 at the University of Lvov. There he joined the “Muscovophile party”.

In 1877 he was arrested, spent 9 months in captivity, and was never able to finish his studies at the university. In his further biography, Franco was under arrest twice more - in 1880, 1889.

During his imprisonment he collected significant material for his works. The fire of struggle against injustice flared up in the writer’s soul, which was reflected in his novels. From 1885 to 1887, Franco worked as editor-in-chief of the publication Zorya. His collection “The Peaks and Lowlands”, the story “Mission”, “The Plague” gained great popularity among the people.

Also, the biography of Ivan Frank is known as an active public and political figure. Together with Pavlik, he organized a party of strict democrats - the Russian-Ukrainian Radical Party, for a long time published the publication “People”. In 1893, Frank’s lyric collection “Withered Leaves” was published. Around the same year, he again devoted himself to teaching.

For his research on Mickiewicz, Ivan Franko was banned from publishing in Poland. Having begun to collaborate with the Shevchenko Society, Franko began working as editor of the Literary-Scientific Bulletin.

Since then he has published many scientific works. The great Ukrainian writer died in 1916 in poverty.

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There was also a person who was the first to sense a man in her - Ivan Franko. This kind gentleman in an embroidered shirt, most Having lived his life in the Polish-Austrian Lemberg, he considered blacks and Papuans to be an inferior race, and in men he saw not only friends, but also an object of love.

It is well known that Franko was born on August 27, 1856 in the village of Naguevichi in the Lviv region, whose residents firmly believed in evil spirits and even shortly before the birth of the future writer, sorcerers were burned. But few remember that the writer’s ancestors on the male line were Germans. This is indicated by their last name. In Galicia, “Franks” were people from Germany, mostly blacksmiths, who were called. They settled among Rusyn peasants and earned their living by their craft. The writer's father was also a simple blacksmith - a merry fellow and a reveler.

House of Ivan Franko in Naguevichi

But the “Aryan” roots still had an effect. In his youth, Ivan Franko was not only interested in socialism, but was also a staunch supporter of racist theories. He gained knowledge on this issue at Lvov University, where, in addition to lectures on philology, he attended “free courses in psychology, paleontology and national economics.”

He outlined his views, gleaned from German-language pamphlets, in “Thoughts on Evolution in the History of Mankind,” published when its author was barely twenty-five. Young Franco believed that races were divided into inferior and superior. Among the first, he included the extinct Neanderthals, as well as blacks, Bushmen and Papuans, whom he generally called “the most primitive” - that is, the most primitive.

According to Franco’s theory, primitive races “emerged from the Mavp” earlier than others. And only from them, thousands of years later, more perfect individuals emerged. This happened somewhere between Africa and India, where the ocean now splashes, and in antediluvian times, according to Ivan Yakovlevich, there was a “dry land” - the continent of Lemuria, which subsequently drowned.

To Franco's credit, it should be said that he always remained a theoretical racist. He did not beat blacks on the streets of Lvov - both due to the absence of such in Austria-Hungary in the 19th century, and because of his weak physique. The short, red-haired and physically underdeveloped writer was not even accepted into the army. A special “super-arbitration” commission declared the frail racist unfit to serve Emperor Franz Joseph II with a rifle in his hands.

Unfortunately, today we are silent about the interesting anthropological views of young Kamenyar.

Probably so as not to attract the attention of skinheads to his work.

Franco harmoniously combined his racist views with Freemasonry. Ivan Yakovlevich’s poem “Kamenari” today, as in Soviet times, is included in school curriculum. Under socialism, it was interpreted as the anthem of the revolution - evidence of a truly proletarian orientation Ukrainian classic. “Pound this rock!” - we taught in class, wading through the rubble of Frankov’s creativity.

Ivan Franko

In fact, at the time of writing “The Stonemen,” the poet experienced a violent passion for Freemasonry. They were called “free masons.” And all the symbolism of the poem is by no means worker-peasant.

According to historian and political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko, “in the middle of the 19th century, probably ninety percent of the entire Galician intelligentsia (Poles, Germans, and Ukrainians) belonged to the Freemasons. There were several Masonic lodges. Some date back to the 18th century. Some have just been formed. A system of strict recognition by world Freemasonry was not yet considered mandatory. It is unknown which lodge Franco belonged to. However, his work from the period of the 70s. largely imbued with Masonic motifs. In “The Stonemen” this influence is undoubtedly messianic, a voice from above calling for sacrifice in the name of others - all this is very characteristic of the ideology of the “Free Stonemen”. But Franco did not remain a Freemason for long. From the late 70s, he became involved in the socialist movement, which rejected both religion and Freemasonry as relics of the past."

But you shouldn’t assume that Ivan Franko did nothing but burn out community service. He looked for himself in other areas as well. Sometimes quite spicy.

Here is an excerpt from a letter from a slightly melted “stone worker” to his fiancée Olga Roshko. In January 1879, he confesses to her his secret hobbies: “The beauty of people, both men and women, all irritate me even more strongly... However, the women here frighten me, but they do not admire me. I'm the bravest one around men. You don’t know, singly, that if anyone could be the object of your concern, it would be rather a man than a woman. I have loved more men in my life, having known fewer women. And you know that everything in me is unnaturally wild, love.”

Twenty-three-year-old Franco describes how he loves to walk around Lviv, peering at male faces, sometimes he gets acquainted, starts talking to the specimens he likes, is disappointed... All this causes him very contradictory feelings: “I am embarrassed and scared more than once if I start to recall in my memory those faces that suited me and attracted me to myself, but what can I earn money? I know that the reason for that unnatural attraction to men is even simpler - the attraction, which is completely different from women - but how can I change that?

Having heard enough of such confessions, Olga Roshko, the daughter of a priest, got married. But not for Franco, but for the reliable one rural priest- Vladimir Ozarkevich. And why, one wonders, were you afraid? Well, the groom loved to cling to the representatives of his own sex on the streets. What's wrong with that? Members of our Writers' Union will probably not see any sedition in this. Like, the person was bored and wanted to talk...

In the end, Kamenyar still managed to get married. He found his bride “abroad” - in Kyiv. Having arrived in the “mother of Russian cities” from Lvov, Austria, to get money for his planned magazine, Ivan Yakovlevich met a girl who was “ripe.” Her name was Olga Khoruzhinskaya. She was the sister of the wife of Galagan College teacher E.K. Trigubov. They were brought together by the so-called “Ukrainian right”, which sometimes had sexual overtones.

Soon Franco proposed marriage to Olga. And I immediately received a positive response. The learned young lady really wanted to get married! So that the groom, God forbid, does not change his mind, she came herself with two hundred rubles collected for the magazine. Subsequently, Franco admitted that he married without love - “from the doctrine that it is necessary to marry a Ukrainian woman, and even a more enlightened one, a student.” He called his choice not extremely brilliant, arguing that with another wife he could “develop better and achieve much more.” In general, following the example of most of our men, he blamed his woman for all failures, not himself.

Ivan Franko and Olga Khoruzhinskaya

Franko Ivan Yakovlevich (1856-1916) - Ukrainian writer and poet, scientist. He led the revolutionary movement in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On his initiative, the “Russian-Ukrainian Radical Party” was created in Austria. For your creative achievements in 1915 he was nominated for Nobel Prize in literature, but due to the death of the writer, his candidacy was not considered. The city of Ivano-Frankovsk (formerly Stanislav) and the urban-type settlement of Ivano-Frankovo ​​(formerly Yanov) are named in his honor in Ukraine.

Childhood

Ivan was born on August 27, 1856 into a wealthy peasant family in the village of Naguevichi, Lviv region. My father worked as a blacksmith. Mom belonged to the Kulchitsky noble family and was 33 years younger than her husband.

Early childhood Ivan later described in his works as the most happy years. In 1865, his father died. Mom got married for the second time. His stepfather, Grin Gavrilik, treated little Vanya as his own son and actually replaced his dad. Franco was then friends with his stepfather until the end of his life.

School and gymnasium

Little Vanya began studying in 1862 rural school in Naguevichi, but then he was transferred to a school in the neighboring village of Yasenitsa-Solnaya.

Two years later, Ivan’s mother and stepfather sent him to the city of Drohobych, where he continued his studies at the school at the Basilian Monastery. Their distant relative Koshitskaya lived on the outskirts of Drohobych, the boy settled in her apartment. The owners had a carpentry workshop, and Ivan often had to spend the night in wooden coffins.

In 1867, Franko entered the gymnasium (now it is the Drohobych Pedagogical University). The entire period of study in schools and gymnasiums was subsequently vividly reflected in autobiographical stories writer:

  • "Pencil";
  • "In the carpentry";
  • "Calligraphy";
  • "Gritseva school science".

In them, the writer showed the atmosphere of schools of that time, when corporal punishment and moral humiliation of students were used. From Franco's works it is clear how difficult it was for a gifted boy from a simple peasant family to get an education.

In 1872, Ivan’s mother died. He loved her very much and later dedicated his memories to this woman in poems: “Nasty things on the border”, “Song and practice”.

Ivan was then raised by his stepfather and stepmother. The teenager came to them summer holidays, helped in field work, herded cattle. And although these people were actually strangers to him, to Ivan staying with them seemed like paradise compared to the gymnasium. The child suffered mental trauma for the rest of his life from uneducated and rude teachers who indulged the children of the rich and tortured simple village boys. Forever, Franco took from the gymnasium hatred of human oppression.

Despite all the bullying from teachers, both at school and at the gymnasium, Franco was the first among the students. Already during his studies, his phenomenal abilities manifested themselves: he knew by heart the entire “Kobzar” by Taras Shevchenko, he could repeat verbatim after a lesson to the children the teacher’s hour-long lecture, homework on Polish language did it in poetic form.

Ivan read a lot, mainly books on history and cultural studies, natural science works, European literature. He absorbed the content of the works he read very deeply, and, as it turned out later, he remembered all the books until the end of his life. Franco collected a fairly decent library for a high school student; it contained about 500 copies of books on different languages.

While still studying at the gymnasium, Ivan took up poetic translations Western European (Polish, German, French) and ancient writers (Euripides and Sophocles), the Bible, and carried out these works in his native Little Russian language. The Galician poet Marianne Shashkevich and Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. Through their poems he comprehended all the beauty and wealth Ukrainian language. Franco began collecting folk songs and legends, and in 1874 he made his first independent travel in Subcarpathia, where he recorded samples of folklore.

University

In July 1875, Franko graduated from high school with excellent marks, received a certificate of maturity and went to Lviv to continue his studies at the university. Here he entered the Faculty of Philosophy. To the best of their abilities, Ivan was helped by his stepfather and stepmother. Also financial assistance he was assisted by the Galician linguist, professor of the Ukrainian language Emelyan Osipovich Partitsky, who at that time worked in Lvov at a teachers’ seminary.

During this period, Franco wrote many poems, which he began publishing in the university student magazine “Friend”:

  • "My song";
  • « folk song»;
  • “Petria and Dovbuschuk” (his first big story).

Ivan joined the student academic circle, and in the magazine “Friend” he became not only an author, but also an employee. Soon he was the most influential person in the magazine's editorial office.

Having begun cooperation with the Lviv magazine “Friends”, Franko published in it a translation of N. G. Chernyshevsky’s work “What is to be done?”. The authorities did not like such democratic activities, and in 1877 he, along with members of the editorial board, was arrested and spent about nine months in prison.

After his arrest, Ivan was unable to continue his studies at the university; he graduated from the educational institution only fifteen years later, when he defended his dissertation.

Creative and social activities

After leaving prison, Franco and his comrades began publishing new magazine"Public leisure".

Here the poet published his patriotic poems:

  • “To comrades from prison”;
  • “Patriotic events”;
  • story "Boa constrictor";
  • "Kamenari";
  • “My strіcha with Oleksa”;
  • "Thought about Naum Bezumovich."

In 1878, Franco headed the workers' newspaper "Praca", which published social program“What do the Galician robotic community want?” and his famous poem "Anthem" ("The Eternal Revolutionary").

In 1880, Ivan twice visited the Drohobych prison, which he later described in the story “At the Depths.”

Since 1881, Franco worked in the magazines “Svet”, “Delo”, “Zarya”. In them he published his stories “Zakhar Berkut” and “Borislav laughs”, as well as revolutionary poetry, which was later included in his famous collection “From Peaks and Lowlands”.

The poet really dreamed of having his own magazine; he traveled to Kyiv twice in the hope of receiving financial assistance from the literary community. But the Kyiv liberals only deceived him, making empty promises.

In 1889, Franco was arrested again, accused of trying to separate part of Galicia from Austria and annex it to Russia.

In 1893, the poet defended his dissertation and received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In Lvov, he opened a “scientific reading room”, where he himself gave lectures on political economy and the history of the revolutionary struggle.

In 1898, Ivan became editor of the Lviv magazine “Literary and Scientific Newsletter”.

At the same time, he did not forget for a minute about his main calling - to write poetry. Every two years a new one came out poetry collection:

  • 1896 – “The leaves are yawning”;
  • 1898 – “My Izmaragd”;
  • 1900 – “From the Days of Zhurby” and the wonderful story “Crossing Stitches”.

In 1905, in honor of the revolution, Franco wrote the famous poem “Moses” and the poem “Conquistadori”.

Personal life

In 1885, Ivan first came to Kyiv. He knew and heard a lot about the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, St. Sophia Cathedral, St. Andrew's Church, and now he saw all this with his own eyes. He walked around the city with friends and told them a story Kievan Rus. Franco came to Kyiv to raise funds for a new literary magazine. But it turned out that it was here that he met his wife.

Olga Khoruzhinskaya is an orphan from an impoverished family of nobles, originally from the Kharkov province, an ardent “sweatshirt” by conviction. She studied at the Kharkov Institute of Noble Maidens. Olya was pretty and funny, full of energy and cheerful humor, played the piano excellently and knew several languages ​​(English, German, French).

She seemed to Franco a worthy candidate for the role of wife. Moreover, for almost ten years he could not find a wife among the Galician girls. He set too high demands on his future life partner: first of all, Ukrainian and with higher education, is beautiful and has progressive views on family and marriage, and she must definitely be his assistant and friend.

Khoruzhinskaya immediately drew attention to his Western culture and deep intellect. Before leaving, Franco wrote her a long letter in which he shared his views on family life. And already in next letter invited Olya to become his wife, but did not write a word about love.

In May 1886, Franco married Khoruzhinskaya in Kyiv in the St. Paul's Church. Immediately after the feast, the newlyweds went to Lviv and the first wedding night spent on the train.

In the fall of 1887, their first child, Andryusha, was born. Then, one after another, Taras, Petrus and Gandzia appeared.

Four children needed to be clothed and fed, and there was always not enough money. Many years of poverty eventually led to severe mental disorders in Olga. And in 1913, their first son Andrei died. As a child, he suffered a head injury, but despite this, he graduated from Lviv University and defended his doctoral dissertation, helping his father with his work. However, the consequences of childhood trauma affected later, Andrei died during an epileptic attack. After this, the mother was admitted to a psychiatric clinic.

Franco was disappointed in family life, he wrote to his friend that if he had another wife, life would have turned out completely differently. He took a mistress - Mrs. Zygmuntovskaya, a widow with two children, whom he took into full support. But he soon broke up with her too.

Illness and death

In 1908, the poet fell ill. Heavy loads and nervous strain led to the failure of both arms. He went to Croatia for treatment and there was improvement. But as soon as Ivan returned to work, his health deteriorated. Periodically, he underwent treatment in Odessa, Kyiv, and the Carpathians. When relief came, he immediately got to work.

In 1915, his health deteriorated so much that the poet began to foresee his death. In March 1916, he wrote a will, according to which he asked to transfer his entire library and handwritten works to scientific society named after Taras Shevchenko.

Ivan Franko died on May 28, 1916. The death was difficult; there was no one nearby. The First World War was going on, son Taras was in captivity, Petrus was at the front, and daughter Ganna worked in Kyiv in a hospital. The writer was buried in Lvov at the Lychakiv cemetery. There is a monument with a stone carved on the grave.

Ivan Franko is a famous Ukrainian poet and writer. He distinguished himself not only in literary, but also in social and scientific activity. One of the greatest citizens of Ukraine is Ivan Franko. His biography, however, will be of interest not only to Ukrainians.

Origin of Franco

The years of our hero's life are 1856-1916. Ivan Yakovlevich Franko was born in the village of Naguevichi. Now it is located in the Lviv region (Drohobych district). His father was a village blacksmith. Ivan grew up an orphan. His father, Yakov Franko, died in 1865. At this time the boy was only 9 years old. Later, in 1872, his mother, Maria Kulchitskaya, also died. Despite the difficult financial situation, Ivan studied.

Period of study

From 1862 to 1864 he went to school located in a neighboring village; in 1864-67 - to an elementary school located in Drohobych; and in the period from 1867 to 1875, Ivan attended a gymnasium in Drohobych. Subsequently, being already a famous writer, he described with indignation the order that reigned in the gymnasium. In such stories as “Pencil”, “Penmanship Lesson”, “Grits at School”, “Father the Humorist”, Ivan Franko with amazing truthfulness portrayed cruel teachers who hammered stupid school wisdom into the heads of children.

Let us briefly describe one of these stories. In the work "Father the Humorist" we are talking about a man who is considered a merry fellow, a humorist. However, in reality, this thin man with a horse's face teases children if they make mistakes, mocks them, punishes them with rods, and puts the children on a “donkey bench.” Other teachers depicted by the writer were no better.

The photo above is from 1870. This is a high school photograph showing Ivan’s classmates (he himself is in the second row, first on the left).

Franco wouldn't an outstanding person, if at one time I had not supplemented my school knowledge by reading books. Reading was his favorite pastime. Ivan got books where he could: in libraries, from comrades, and sometimes, having saved a little money, he bought cheap publications. It should be said that Ivan distinguished himself in his studies. In 1875 he was awarded a scholarship from the Glowinski Foundation. That same year, in the fall, he entered Lviv University, the philological department. The scholarship to Ivan Franko was provided for the entire period of study at the university. It seemed that a calm and prosperous future awaited Ivan. He could become a university professor or a gymnasium teacher. His friends and family were counting on this.

First arrest

However, in the very first years of study at the university, Ivan Franko proved himself to be public figure, moreover, of a socialist, progressive direction. He made friends with Mikhail Pavlik and Ostap Terletsky. Through the first, he began a correspondence with M. Drahomanov, who was in Geneva at that time. Drahomanov was a revolutionary socialist, dangerous in the eyes of the Ukrainian police. Because of correspondence with him, our hero was arrested in June 1877.

Together with his comrades, Ivan Franko was accused of creating a secret socialist society. In January next year The court found Ivan guilty. He was sentenced to six weeks in prison. Since at that time the period of investigative detention did not count towards punishment, Ivan was released only six weeks later, on March 5, 1878.

Consequences of arrest

The sentence was short, but its consequences were dire. The fact is that a person with a criminal record could not, by law, become a teacher. Because of this, the purpose of Ivan Franko's further education became unclear. Our hero’s scholarship was also taken away. In addition, Franco caught a serious cold during his imprisonment. This disease later became chronic. She haunted Ivan all his life. But this is not all the consequences of imprisonment. The father of Franco's bride, Olga Roshkevich, was a priest and refused him matchmaking. He even forbade Olga to see the “criminal” and correspond with him. Their marriage, unfortunately, never took place.

New persecutions

The police persecution of our hero did not end there. He was arrested again in Kolomyia in March 1880. Franco was again accused of socialist agitation. He spent three months in custody while the investigation continued. Based on its results, it was recognized that Franco’s arrest was unfounded. On June 13 of the same year, our hero was sent along a convoy from Kolomyia to Naguevichi. The memories associated with this conclusion, the impressions Ivan received were reflected in his work. They formed the basis of Franco's story "At the Bottom".

The police did not leave Ivan Franko alone. The third time she remembered him in connection with the arrival in Lvov of a group of Ukrainians who came from Kyiv. Ivan was arrested in Lvov in August 1889. This time he was accused not only of socialism, but also of spying for Russia. However, this time the accusations turned out to be unfounded. The prison impressions of this time were reflected in the “Prison Sonnets” - a poetic cycle created by Franco.

Personal life

In 1886, Ivan got married. His wife was a girl from Kyiv, Olga Khoruzhinskaya. There were four children in the Franco family, but family well-being began to collapse in 1902. Ivan's wife began to have a mental disorder, which worsened over time. This brought our hero a lot of grief.

Ivan Franko moved into his own house in 1902 (he had previously rented a house). The current address of the house where Franko lived is st. I. Franko, 152. There is a memorial museum of the writer here. To build housing, Ivan took out a large loan. Payments on it were completed after Ivan’s death by his son.

Ivan Franko's disease

In April 1908, Franco went for treatment and rest to Lipik, which is located in modern Croatia, near Zagreb. Here his illness worsened greatly - both his arms were paralyzed. In addition, signs of mental disorder became noticeable. In more later years These manifestations of the disease have softened somewhat. However, Franco was never completely healthy again. Contemporaries believed that his illness was a consequence of syphilis, which he had once suffered. This caused great trouble for Ivan Franko. At present, however, doctors are inclined to believe that since 1877, since his imprisonment, our hero has been ill with a form of rheumatism. It's about o Concepts about it were formulated later long years after Ivan's death.

Death of Franco

Exhausted by diseases, social and family problems, lacking money, our hero died in Lvov, in his home, on May 28, 1916. The grave of Ivan Franko is located at the Lychakiv cemetery.

Ivan Franko as a poet

We now invite you to take a closer look at literary creativity Ivana. Ivan Franko first appeared as a poet in 1874. His biography is marked by the creation of poems before last days life, until 1916. Among his works are many beautiful poems about public affairs and personal experiences. They were collected in several books.

However, our hero’s poetic talent manifested itself with maximum strength precisely in large poems, and not in lyrics. Ivan created realistic paintings Galician life, contemporary to him. Here we should note such works as “Botokudy” (1884), “Humanly” (poem of 1889), as well as the poem “For Love” created in 1890. Ivan Franko also captured images of the historical past of the Ukrainian people. Among the works on this topic, one should note “The Master's Jokes” (1887), the poem “Ivan Vyshensky”, created in 1895, as well as another work, “On Svyatoyurskaya Mountain” (1900). Ivan Franko dedicated several of his creations to discussions about God and religion. Of note is the 1885 poem Ex nihilo, as well as The Death of Cain, written in 1889.

An important place among the poems written by Ivan belongs to the processing of various subjects from world literature. These are works from the 1890s such as “Mikita the Fox”, “The Adventures of Don Quixote”, “The Tsar and the Ascetic”, “Abu Qasimov’s Shoes”, as well as the poem “The Blacksmith Bassim” created in 1900.

What work is the pinnacle of the poetic creativity of the author we are interested in? Researchers believe that this is the poem "Moses" created in 1905. In this work, the basis of which is biblical story, represents the rise of the Ukrainian people, who began the struggle for their independence.

Franco - prose writer

Ivan Franko was not only a poet, but also a prose writer. In these works he acted as a realist who focused on the problems of Galician life contemporary to him. It was Franko who was the first Ukrainian writer to depict the life of Borislav workers who worked in the oil fields, as well as Jewish entrepreneurs who were their class antagonists. In 1877 the work “The Converted Sinner” appeared, in 1884 - Boa constrictor, in 1887 - “Yats Zelepuga”, in 1899 - “Oilman”. The novel "Borislav Laughs", created in 1882, is considered best work of this cycle.

Creations, dedicated to life intelligentsia also occupy a significant place in Franco's prose. In 1880, Ivan wrote “At the Depths”, in 1897 - “For the Hearth”, in 1900 - “Crossing Paths”. An important place among the works of this series belongs to those devoted to Ukrainian-Polish relations. Among them, it should be noted “Lel and Polel” (1887), as well as “Pillars of Society” (1894). Both works, unfortunately, remained unfinished.

Ivan Franko's fairy tale "Farbovaniy fox" ("farbovaniy" means "dyed") is also very noteworthy. Based on it, it was created in 1953 soviet cartoon, directed by Alexander Ivanov. “The Painted Fox” is one of A. Ivanov’s most popular works.

Many Ukrainians know the film called “Zakhar Berkut”. It tells the story of the struggle of a freedom-loving people against social oppression and invaders. This film is about a Carpathian village. The plot is based on the work “Zakhar Berkut” by Ivan Franko.

Ivan Yakovlevich also proved himself in drama. His play "Stolen Happiness" was innovative for its time. And even today it looks quite modern. The play "Stolen Happiness" depicts the life of a family that looks happy on the outside. However, this family is destroyed right before the eyes of the audience. A provincial Ukrainian town was chosen as the setting. Classical love triangle lies at the center of the plot of this work. The lives of three people are intertwined together - Anna, her husband Mykola and her lover Mikhailo. Jealousy, betrayal, love, true and imaginary deaths, repentance and murder, a miraculous “resurrection” - this play is not inferior to Shakespeare’s dramas in terms of intensity of passions.

Translation activities

Throughout his life, Franco worked on translations of various works of world literature. His merits in this field are very great. From the translations belonging to him, one can compile a whole library.

The range of works that attracted Franco was extremely wide. His translations include works of ancient Greek, ancient Arabic, and ancient Indian literature; ancient Babylonian poetry. Concerning new literature, it can be noted that Ivan Franko translated it in 1882. He was also interested in other German, as well as French, Polish, English and Italian works.

Among Franko's translations are entire books of works by K. Havlička-Borovsky and A. S. Pushkin. Separately, it should be noted the cycle of translations of works created by historians of ancient Rome. Ivan Franko worked on them from August 1915 to March 1916, that is, in the last year of his life.

It should be noted that he translated into German Ukrainian folk songs, and also helped M. S. Grushevsky create the German version of the “History of Ukraine-Rus”. Not alone works of art adapted by Ivan Franko. His biography is marked by his interest in popular science works. various topics, to which he addressed in the 1870-80s. Ivan considered them useful in educating the Ukrainian people.

Activities as a folklorist

From the very beginning creative activity Franco showed interest in folklore. The first was published in 1876 folk tale in his entry. "Galician-Russian folk proverbs", as well as "Studio on Ukrainian folk songs" became most important achievements Franco in this field. Ivan published numerous ethnographic and folklore records and studies. In addition, he wrote down whole line folk songs.

Franco as a literary historian

Ivan Franko's work on the history of literature proceeded in several directions. The first of these is the history of the plots. The most significant achievement in this direction is Franco's doctoral dissertation, defended in 1895. The second direction is collecting, studying and publishing various works Ukrainian literature. Here we should note Franko’s collection “Apocrypha and Legends from Ukrainian Manuscripts”. Ivan found and published the works of Ivan Vyshensky, about whom he wrote a number of studies. He also published works by T. Shevchenko, Y. Fedkovich, A. Svidnitsky and other Ukrainian writers. Another direction in which Franko worked was writing synthetic works devoted to the history of Ukrainian literature.

Social activity

Young Galician intellectuals in 1890 created the Russian-Ukrainian Radical Party, which was headed by Ivan Franko until 1898. This party adhered to the socialist direction. She strived to become a representative of a wide range of working people.

Ivan Franko in 1895 became a candidate for the Vienna parliament (from the Radical Party) in the constituency Mostiska - Dobromil - Przemysl. In 1898, he was a candidate in another constituency - Skalat - Zbarazh - Ternopil. However, both times Ivan Franko was not elected.

Franco in 1899 left the Radical Party, which he created, and joined the Ukrainian National Democratic Party. As a result, the radicals lost an influential leader, and the national democrats never gained significant power. Franco did not distinguish himself with any particular activity in the new party. After some time, he stopped political struggle and concentrated entirely on scientific and literary activities.

Let's sum it up

Ivan Franko, whose biography is discussed in the article, was a writer and poet by profession. However, he could not calmly observe the political situation in his country. Therefore, he did not allow himself to remain only a writer. Ivan Franko resolutely and willingly took on any business that, in his opinion, was useful for the Ukrainian people. Therefore many literary plans was never able to realize Franco, whose poetry and prose nevertheless enjoy well-deserved recognition. In some lyrical works, our hero bitterly complained that he was unable to realize all his plans in literature.

However, it is precisely thanks to the universalism of Franko’s activities that we can say that he is one of the builders of the modern Ukrainian nation. This is confirmed by the fact that Ivan Yakovlevich is depicted on the 20 hryvnia banknote. Of course, this fact indicates that his figure is very important for the Ukrainian people. Since 1992, the image of Ivan Franko has been on the 20 hryvnia banknote. Her design changed several times, but Franco's figure always remained in place.

Among the glorious artists of words, whose work is inseparable from the life of the people, the name of the great writer of UkraineIvan Yakovlevich Franko

Among the glorious artists of words, whose work is inseparable from the life of the people, the name of the great writer of Ukraine Ivan Yakovlevich Franko stands in the first rank of the mighty champions of freedom and justice.

The very life of the writer, his daring and ups, the power of his undying talent show what an artist can achieve by linking his destiny inseparably with the fate of the people, giving his whole self to the Motherland, like its faithful son.

Unfortunately, the writer’s life, his work, his struggle have still been little studied. But for many decades now, Franco’s books: novels and stories, poems and poems, dramas and journalism - all his diverse and exciting creativity has served humanity in a just struggle for a better future, in the fight against the dark forces of arbitrariness, in the fight for peace.

The work of Ivan Franko founded an era in Ukrainian literature and, with a new trend, continued the work begun by the brilliant Taras Shevchenko.

...A little over a century and a half ago, on August 27, 1856, in the village of Naguevichi, Drohobych district, Lvov region of Western Ukraine, the future great writer was born into the family of a rural blacksmith.

Ivan Franko vividly and truthfully described his childhood in wonderful stories “ Little Myron», « Pencil», « mustard seed" They contain not only the features of the writer’s autobiography, but also a lively, convincing picture of the life and way of life of a Western Ukrainian village, which vegetated in the conditions of the patchwork Austro-Hungarian Empire under the double oppression of “our own” and foreign lords - landowners.

Having started publishing in the Lviv student magazine “ Friend", Franco immediately showed the social aspirations of his muse.

No, it was not pointless sighs and groans that worried the heart of the young poet! Unrefined, lifeless images attracted him! Truth, and only truth, called his muse, or, truly, truth was his muse. That is why the simple and unpretentious words of his poems and stories were not to the taste of decadent critics and aroused the wary attitude of senior colleagues who sought refuge from life in the intricate “paradise” gardens of poetry.

How could he Ivan Franko Having known the life of ordinary people, their grief and need since childhood, how could he write lies about them? No! The writer did not have such a heart.

Two years after his admission to Lviv University, the police became interested in the activities of Ivan Franko. Soon young writer sent to prison, where he remained for more than nine months. This measure, according to the gendarmes, is preventive; it should bring the “peasant poet” to reason, as nationalists and writers already swaggeringly call Franco. But the police achieved nothing. Franco stands his ground steadfastly. He cannot be bent either by prison, or by persecution or other measures taken against him. After leaving prison, he joined the Galician labor movement with even greater zeal. The writer is part of the " Working Committee" and becomes editor of the Polish workers' newspaper " Work" He eagerly studies the life of workers, their working conditions, is active in circles, promotes the ideas of Marx and compiles a popular textbook based on the works of Marx, Chernyshevsky, and Mill.

In his brochure " What do Galician workers want?", published in 1881, Franco writes:

“Soon we can hope that in our country in Galicia a “working community” will be created, consisting of Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish and all other nationalities living in cities and villages.”

It is interesting that one of the points of the “workers’ community” program read: “So that all the land with forests and pastures, rivers and lakes belongs to those communities that work on it, and also that all factories and factories belong to those workers who work for them.” .

Courageous voice Ivan Franko gaining strength. It sounded especially clear and inviting in the writer’s first large collection of poems - “ Peaks and valleys».

Fight! Be brave! For the whole earth

Clear the path of truth!..

These words already contained the ardent call of the poet’s heart. Without covering his thoughts with any vague effusions, as many of his contemporaries did, Ivan Franko declared frankly and boldly:

We will have to stand firmly for the truth:

Everything is level, and shoulder to shoulder,

We'll have to fight the enemy,

And blood will flow like a river.

Yes, the path to freedom and truth is difficult! The poet did not want to hide this from his readers. He clearly saw the victory of the people, believed in it, and therefore firmly proclaimed:

Our dear mother Ukraine will rise

In boundless happiness...

The edges that separated will disappear

brothers among themselves,

Mother will hug all her beloved children

With a warm hand...

The writer's words turned out to be prophetic. They could be born in the mouth of a person devoted to the people, deeply understanding the life of the people and burning with one desire - to fight for the happiness of the people. And so, from book to book, the skill of the writer grew, the courage of the fighter - the revolutionary, irreconcilable to all apostates and apostasy - grew stronger. This intransigence of his, loyalty to the cause of the working people, a genuine sense of internationalism, a sense of friendship among peoples earned him love and respect in the hearts of millions of working people. Mikhail Kotsyubinsky and Lesya Ukrainka came to him, as to an older colleague and teacher... Hundreds and thousands of young, brave fighters for truth turned to him, as to an inexhaustible spring. He was already known not only by Western, but also by all of Ukraine. His voice filled the hearts of courageous patriots with faith and courage.

He was a tireless worker Ivan Franko. Twenty volumes of his works, published for the centenary, cover the most significant works of the writer.

His prose: stories " Borislav laughs», « Boa - constrictor» (« Boa") - is of invaluable importance for our literature. The working man and his work, his bright conscience and pure heart - and next to him is the exploiter, the enemy - the capitalist, who has attached himself to the body of the proletarian, drinking all the vital juices from him, taking advantage of his work... All this is shown truthfully and vividly, convincingly and remembered for a long time . Ivan Franko saw through the darkness the light of truth, the path to its triumph.

Mikhail Kotsyubinsky, characterizing the work of Ivan Franko, wrote: “A realist in in the best sense of this word, Franco likes to dwell in his prose works on two topics: the first is the struggle of capital with labor and the context of this struggle, and the second is the awakening of human feeling in people, which seems completely lost. The interest in this last topic tells us that Franco has great faith into people."



Faith Ivan Franko in a person was huge. She helped him overcome many of the difficult adversities that befell him, the lot of a fighter; she inspired the writer to work that crushes all barriers, and even when his body was shackled by a serious illness, Franco’s spirit remained strong, free and unshakable. He never complained about his personal troubles and did not lower his head. This is how his contemporaries knew him, who had the good fortune to work with him, this is how he appears to us in his books, which enriched the culture of our people, which in the Soviet era became the property of all the peoples of the Soviet Motherland.

Franco hated those who tried to lull people into a sense of civic duty; he wrote passionately and fervently:

Don't be afraid if sometimes there are groans

Through the songs the system will reach you.

Millions of suffering hearts

In that song they beat in friendly battle.

The range of Franco's creativity is enormous. He was interested not only in modernity, but also in history. His book remains an example of a historical novel to this day. Zakhar Berkut", dedicated to the struggle of Carpathian Rus' with the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. Here I would like to quote the words of Ivan Franko: “A historical story is not history... The writer uses historical facts only in his own artistic purposes, to embody a certain idea in certain, living, typical characters.”

IN " Zakhar Berkut“Ivan Franko sought to recreate pictures of the future labor society. The story echoes the ideals of Russian revolutionary democracy of the sixties.

Among the dramatic works of Ivan Franko, a special place is occupied by the well-known drama “ Stolen happiness».

In many cases, the basis of personal misfortune and failure is a class, social reason - this is the inexorable law of life. This conclusion suggests itself after reading the drama. The characters are drawn out in it unusually vividly. characters, no embellishments, just the truth, harsh, sometimes cruel, but the truth. Appearing in 1893, the play amazed everyone with its strong desire to show society the cause of many evils for a person shackled in the slave chains of a capitalist society. And again Ivan Franko boldly and in full voice called for a fight despite those who tried to put him to sleep common man, to reconcile him with reality, pushing him into the arms of the church, replacing his real struggle with dreams of some future good.

Two years after the appearance of " Stolen happiness"Ivan Franko published a drama - a fairy tale" Dream of Prince Svyatoslav" In it, he glorifies devotion to the homeland, patriotism, and the struggle for the unity of Rus'.


Could such ideas, loyalty to the cause of the working man, a call to fight, reconcile Franco with those who preached that everything should be peaceful and quiet in their own way?.. Of course not. Franco, persecuted by the Austro-Hungarian gendarmes, was persecuted by Ukrainian nationalists. There were attempts to persuade Franco to take a different path. The response to such attempts is the writer’s angry words:

What kind of decadent am I? I am the son of the people

Which rushes towards the sun from its dens.

My slogan: work, and happiness, and freedom,

I myself am a man, a prologue, not an epilogue.

An ardent patriot, Ivan Franko dedicated all his work to his homeland and people. The ideas of scientific socialism, with which he was well acquainted, the traditions of Taras Shevchenko, the close connection with the people of all of Ukraine, from the shores of the Black Sea to the Carpathian peaks, and not just Galicia, as adherents of the Austrian occupation regime claimed - all this gave Franco’s work special strength and scope. This must explain his enormous influence on such classics of Ukrainian literature as Kotsyubynsky and Stefanik, Lesya Ukrainka and Kobylyanskaya, Cheremshina and Martovich.

Ivan Franko's intransigence towards nationalism and national narrow-mindedness was crystal clear. A true internationalist, the writer embodied in many of his works the idea of ​​friendship of peoples, the unity of interests of the oppressed masses.

He noted with spiritual glee Ivan Yakovlevich in one of the articles he wrote in Russian: “The peasant deputies began to speak out against the landowners with extreme harshness, and in addition, after just a few meetings, the peasants - Ukrainians and peasants - Poles united into one close “peasant club” for a common fight against lordship "


Ivan Franko once wrote about his attitude to the nation’s rights to freedom and independence: “A nation that, in the name of state or other interests, strangles and stops the free development of another nation, is digging a grave for itself and the state it supposedly should serve.” such oppression."

On the days when the next, and the next, and the next anniversary of the birth of the great Ukrainian writer, eyes involuntarily turn to Ukraine, to which Ivan Franko gave his talent and his heart. And everything that was done by the descendants of the great writer, isn’t it the best monument to him?! After all, this is what he dreamed about when he began his journey as a writer, and he gave all his strength to it!

The decision of the World Peace Council to celebrate the anniversary of Ivan Franko is a clear recognition of the correctness and honesty of the path that the writer followed.

The people of Ukraine are fraternally grateful to the leaders of the peace movement for their respect for the work of the great Ukrainian classic, who understood, like the best representatives of other nations, that the most cherished aspiration of a simple person who loves his people and his Motherland was and remains peace.