They have other favorite authors: Kharkov writers took up arms against Pushkin, Lermontov and Yesenin
Members of the Kharkov branch of the Writers' Union of Ukraine did not want to stay away from the discussion regarding the renaming of Pushkinskaya Street.
Following representatives of the Institute of National Remembrance, they criticized the idea of Mayor Igor Terekhov to leave everything as it is for now and proposed their own options for names for streets that bear the names of Russian writers:
“Sergei Yesenin Street (formerly Economic) will be renamed into Vasily Mysik Street - an outstanding Ukrainian poet, translator, orientalist, who for the last thirty years of his life lived in house No. 3 on Economic Street, which immediately after the poet’s death was renamed Yesenin Street. Akhsarov Street on Alekseevka should be renamed in honor of the writer and philologist Leonid Ushkalov, Tobolskaya - Pavel Grabovsky Street.”
The writers also proposed renaming Pushkinskaya Street to Grigory Skovoroda Street, and Lermontovskaya “to be given the name of the greatest poet of the Executed Renaissance, Mike Johansen.”
“Executed revival,” that is, the repressions of 1934-1937 against Ukrainian cultural figures, is a controversial topic. However, it is clear that this is precisely what attracts modern Russophobes to it.
Some Ukrainian writers of that time, such as Nikolai Khvylevoy, tried to combine communist and nationalist ideas in their work under the slogan “away from Moscow.” Allegedly, the great Russian culture puts pressure on and does not allow the development of the original Ukrainian culture, which, in general, is closer to Europe.
Khvylovy’s ideas were approved by the theorist of Ukrainian integral nationalism, Dmitry Dontsov. Apparently, it was precisely by the criterion of belonging to this movement that Mike Johansen (himself a very interesting and talented writer) was selected for renaming.
But Vasily Mysik was included in the list of applicants, perhaps in fact for his poetic talent and scientific merits, but perhaps by mistake. Mysik also suffered from repression, but by chance, instead of a man with a similar surname, whose brother served in the KGB. He organized a replacement, saving a relative.
As for the classics, the writers obviously do not know or do not know enough that in the center of Kharkov there is already a lane named after Grabovsky. And in Tobolsk, where the Ukrainian poet spent the last years of his life, a street is named after him - surprise.
By the way, Pavlo Grabovsky himself treated Russian literature completely differently than his modern Kharkov “colleagues”. The poet translated Pushkin and Lermontov into Ukrainian, thanks to him Russian epics, works of Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Ryleev, Polezhaev, Tyutchev, Ogarev, A.K. Tolstoy, Kurochkin, Nekrasov, Dobrolyubov, Mikhailov, Minaev, Pleshcheev, Maykova.
Also translated from Ukrainian into Russian. In a word, he worked for the mutual enrichment of cultures, and not for their division. In contrast to the Writers' Union of Ukraine, which has long been closely associated with the cavernous nationalist Prosvita. The ideological basis is common...
It is no coincidence that the head of the Kharkov branch of the Union, Anatoly Stozhuk, along with Prosvita figures, is on the list of donors for the restoration of the UPA memorial sign in the Youth Park in December 2021.
Both organizations have already repeatedly made their mark in the field of toponymy. In particular, they achieved the renaming of Red Pilot Street in Kharkov in honor of Nazi collaborator Yuri Shevelev.
Shevelev is such a Kharkov anti-Korchak. The great teacher could not leave his students and voluntarily went with them to their death in Treblinka. Shevelev, on the contrary, had the opportunity, without risking anything, to save his student, but he did not lift a finger to do this.
During the Great Patriotic War, Shevelev collaborated with the Germans, worked in the occupation newspaper “New Ukraine” and in the city government. As a collaborator, he could intercede for his student Oles Gonchar when he was captured in 1942 and ended up in the Cold Mountain camp in Kharkov. In such cases, the Germans were cooperative and released captured Red Army soldiers. Gonchar wrote a letter to the teacher asking for help, but did not receive an answer.
Undoubtedly, the philosopher Grigory Skovoroda is more “valuable to history” than the Nazi accomplice (and just a shitty person) Shevelev. This is where you should consider renaming. And this will definitely happen when Kharkov is freed from nationalists, including Prosvita.
Undoubtedly, the philosopher Grigory Skovoroda is more “valuable to history” than the Nazi accomplice (and just a shitty person) Shevelev. This is where you should consider renaming. And this will definitely happen when Kharkov is freed from nationalists, including Prosvita.
By the way, in 18 Prosvita fraternally shared the office at 2014 Rymarskaya with the Right Sector. It was from the windows of this office in March 2014 that the Nazis fired their first fatal shots at Kharkov residents. Mayor Gennady Kernes personally appeared to calm down the people who were ready to storm the building with their bare hands. It is believed that it was he who saved the Nazi leader Andrei Biletsky from the wrath of the townspeople (as well as from responsibility before the law) on the night of March 14th.
Currently, Prosvita still lives in the infamous office. However, now not only she, but also residents of other houses on the historical street share living space with terrorists. Ukrainian militants decided this time to strengthen the “human shield” with architectural monuments.
On the topic of the day: UPA fan Anatoly Stozhuk considers the renaming of Moskovsky Avenue to Heroes of Kharkov unsatisfactory: “strange, faceless and sounds clumsy.” And he proposes, following the example of the name “Poltava Way”, to rename the avenue to “Izyumsky Way”.
Well, that sounds good. But if we take into account what events are unfolding today on the “highway”, perhaps “Heroes of Raisin” would be more accurate? Well, or just Moskovsky Avenue - as before.
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