Kobzar
SynopsisPlot
Masterfully fulfilled by Peter Fedynsky, Voice of America journalist and expert on Ukrainian studies, this first-ever English translation of the complete Kobzar brings out Ukraine's rich cultural heritage. As a foundational text, The Kobzar has played an important role in galvanizing the Ukrainian identity and in the development of Ukraine’s written language and Ukrainian literature.
Story
About this book
Kobzar is a collection of poems by Taras Shevchenko, first published in 1840. The title refers to a kobzar, a traditional Ukrainian traveling musician who played the kobza, a stringed instrument. Shevchenko himself was born into serfdom in 1814 and gained his freedom in 1838, shortly before the book appeared. His poems addressed Ukrainian history, language, folk life, and the conditions of ordinary people under imperial rule. Early editions were censored by the Russian czar, and Shevchenko was later arrested and sent into exile, where he was forbidden to write or paint.
Despite censorship, the collection became a foundational work for the Ukrainian language and literary tradition. Shevchenko wrote in Ukrainian at a time when the language had limited presence in published literature, and his poetry helped shape its modern written form. The book grew through successive editions as more poems were added over the years, and it remains closely tied to questions of Ukrainian cultural identity.
Peter Fedynsky, a Voice of America journalist with a background in Ukrainian studies, produced what is described in the record as the first complete English translation of the Kobzar, making the full collection accessible to English-speaking readers.
