The winners' names traditionally became known during a solemn ceremony in Kyiv on December 17, on the birthday of the linguist, historian of Ukrainian literature, and essayist Yury Shevelyov. This year, for the first time in the award's history, the ceremony took place in the shelter of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.
Pavlo Kazarin ("Wild West of Eastern Europe"), Andriy Pavlyshyn ("We Are Still Threatened by Eternity"), and Markiyan Prokhasko ("Dream of Antarctica") were included in the list of finalists of the Yuriy Shevelyov Prize for the best Ukrainian book of essays in 2022.
"Essay writing is my favorite genre, and it has been so all my conscious life. With the appearance of this book, I came out of the shadows as an essayist. For many years, I worked as a translator. More than half a hundred books and thousands of articles were published in my translation. But the translator often remains unnoticed. I collected essays scattered over different years in different editions of this book. I put this book together to tell readers about the kind of people who lived in Lviv in the past. Even virtually, I tried to bring them back to life," he said in Andriy Pavlyshyn in his speech.
Andriy Pavlyshyn is a Ukrainian journalist, historian, and translator. In the past, he was the program and chief editor of the "ESPOL," "Fenix," "And "Prosvita" publishing houses, the editor of the cultural magazine "Y," the chief editor of "Lvivska Gazeta" and the "Western Analytical Group" resource. Co-founder of the Forum of Publishers in Lviv. Researcher of relations between Poland and Ukraine, the works of Bruno Schulz, and translations of academic literature from Polish to Ukrainian. The author of the books "Bruno Schulz" (2020) and "We are still threatened by eternity" (2021) and several translations of works by Polish authors, including Bruno Schulz, Stanislav Lem, Czeslaw Milosz, Janusz Korczak, and others. Winner of the Panteleimon Kulish Prize (2013) and the Translation Prize of the Polish PEN (2015).
Andrii Pavlyshyn's book is dedicated to the iconic figures of Lviv in the first half of the 20th century. This became his life's mission: "I see my task, my life's mission, in constantly bringing back to life, resurrecting, at least in a spiritual sense, those who were taken from us this damn war. Those who died or were forced to emigrate never returned to their hometown." These words, unfortunately, sound very relevant. However, we are talking about the Second World War, and not about the war that is our experience today," the researcher noted. Translator and member of the Prize Chapter Olya Hnatiuk.
Oleksandr Savruk, dean of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, awarded the laureate with a statuette of a Bronze Angel, made by sculptor Svitlana Karunska, as well as a cash prize and a diploma.
"Such intense reflections are essential for us now and in Ukraine when we are learning to live in new conditions, constructing ourselves in a new way," noted Oleksandr Savruk.
This year, two special awards were also presented as part of the Yury Shevelyov Prize. Journalist Pavlo Kazarin received a special award for the Chapter "for masterful columns and analysis of the military present" for the book "Wild West of Eastern Europe."
"After February 24, I returned my thoughts to this book and thought about whether it would become obsolete or whether time and new circumstances would kill it. But it turned out that the processes that began before our eyes in 2014 only accelerated in 2022. Today, we are watching how our country turns into a valuable reference point, not only for its citizens but also for the whole world," Pavlo Kazarin emphasized.
"This book provides a lot of food for an intelligent reader, but the main attraction of Kazarin, the author, cannot fail to impress: he is never afraid to tackle global topics, thinks boldly and broadly, and often returns in different forms to what has already been saying. In a certain sense, Pavlo is a teacher but never a mentor and not a didact. Perhaps that is why you almost always agree with his reflections. He thinks correctly," commented Andriy Bondar, winner of the 2021 Yuriy Shevelyov Prize and member of the Prize Chapter, about the "Wild West of Eastern Europe."
Also, the Radio Kultura Special Award was presented for the third time during the ceremony. The name of its owner was announced by Radio Kultura producer, journalist, translator, and writer Iryna Slavinska. Writer and journalist Markiyan Prokhasko received the award. His book "Dream of Antarctica" will be broadcast in audio format on the Radio next year.
"In this book, I wanted to achieve what I had been talking about in literature for a long time - to talk about Ukraine, its importance, role, and significance in the world, its otherness, and uniqueness in many areas, without mentioning these words directly. To tell like this so that the reader consciously or unconsciously understands that Ukraine exists unique and irreplaceable. Without it, the puzzle with the continents of our planet would be incomplete," said Markiyan Prokhasko.
"Ideally, often at the level of a private diary, a subjective, rather voluminous, and detailed narrative makes the reader a witness rather than a passive "consumer" of the described events. The historical or political information narrated by Markiyan Prokhasko adds encyclopedic weight to the time when everything that the author himself feels and thinks during his travels is imbued with motivational romance and charges the reader with energy" - this is how the writer and member of the Prize Chapter Andriy Kurkov gave Markian Prokhaska's book a rating.
We remind you that in 2022, 12 books made it to the list of nominees for the Prize.
They were evaluated by the Chapter, which included: writer Andriy Kurkov; writer, essayist, translator, laureate of the 2021 Prize Andriy Bondar; Olya Hnatiuk, Ukrainian scholar, translator, professor of Warsaw University and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; literary critic, corresponding member of NASU (Institute of Literature) Tamara Gundorova; art critic, laureate of the 2019 Prize Diana Klochko; philosopher, essayist, laureate of the 2020 Taras Lyuty Award; literary critic, head of the publishing program of the Ukrainian Scientific Institute of Harvard University Oleg Kotsyuba; Oleksandr Savruk, Dean of Kyiv-Mohyla Business School; literary critic Eleonora Solovei; journalist, executive director of Ukrainian PEN Tetyana Teren; editor-in-chief of the publishing house "Spirit and Letter" Leonid Feinberg.
The Yuriy Shevelev Award was established in 2013. It is awarded yearly to a Ukrainian author for artistic and scientific essay writing. The award is named after Yuriy Shevelyov, who started modern Ukrainian essay writing and recognized his contribution to the values inherent in this genre: independence of thought and sophistication of style. Artistic or scientific essays by Ukrainian authors published in paper form during the calendar year are accepted for consideration.
The laureates of the Prize of the past years were Taras Prokhasko ("One and the same"), Andriy Portnov ("Stories for home use"), Kostyantyn Moskalets ("Scares"), Oleksandr Boychenko ("More/Less"), Vakhtang Kebuladze ("Charunki destiny"), Andriy Lyubka ("Saudade"), Volodymyr Yermolenko ("Fluid ideologies"), Diana Klochko ("65 Ukrainian masterpieces. Recognized and implicit"), Taras Lyuty ("Culture of Charms and Resistance") and Andriy Bondar (" Treats for Medor").
In previous years, Volodymyr Panchenko (posthumously), Oksana Zabuzhko ("Planet of Wormwood"), Mykola Ryabchuk ("Nationalist's Lexicon and other essays"), and Stanislav Aseev ("The Bright Path: the story of one concentration camp") received the Chapter's special award in previous years. Vasyl Makhno ("Along the Ocean on a Rover") and Vira Ageeva ("Behind the Scenes of the Empire") were honored by UA: Radio Culture.
Founders of the Award: Ukrainian PEN, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, "Spirit and Litera" publishing house, Center of Judaica, and Ukrainian Scientific Institute of Harvard University.
