SHEVCHENKO MEASURED AS A NATIONAL SYMBOL

Abstract

The study highlights the actualization of Taras Shevchenko’s creative heritage as a whole. This is done historically, in the context of war in Ukraine and in the aspect of international perception of the Ukrainian genius as a poet, artist, ambassador and symbol of the nation. Sharing his impressions of a bookworm, the author notes the contribution of the diaspora to the popularization of the artist, critically analyzes a number of recent editions of Shevchenko's works in Ukraine, ponders upon the reasons for Shevchenko's absence in the name lists of well-known Western poetry and art book series, probes the potential of global symbolization of Shevchenko's artistic world (primarily as a code), ultimately emphasizes that the scale and power of influence of the artistic genius, the interest in him depend on the achievements with which his people convince the planet.

The author holds a view that Shevchenko’s poetry and paintings are inseperable as a unique all-in-one system of imagery, with a potential to be actualized, revalued and symbolized internationally on a wider scale because Ukraine is destined to play a key role in the world’s history nowadays. The essay traces some tendencies in the translations of Shebchenko’s poetry into English. Modernist vers libre versions of interpretation along with analytical prose are contrasted to those done in verse and frowned upon as inadequate in style. A demand of a congenial translator for Shevchenko’s “Kobzar” is emphasized.

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REFERENCES

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