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Lesia Ukrainka

Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka
Лариса Петрівна Косач-Квітка
Lesya Ukrainka portrait.jpg
Born February 25 [O.S. February 13] 1871
Novohrad-Volynskyi, Russian Empire
Died August 1 [O.S. July 19] 1913 (aged 42)
Surami, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire
Pen name Lesya Ukrainka
Occupation Poet and writer, playwright
Ethnicity Ukrainian
Period 1884–1913

Lesya Ukrainka (Ukrainian: Леся Українка) (born Larysa Petrivna Kosach-Kvitka (Ukrainian: Лариса Петрівна Косач-Квітка) (February 25 [O.S. February 13] 1871 – August 1 [O.S. July 19] 1913) is one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She also was an active political, civil, and feminist activist.

Among her most well-known works are the collections of poems On the wings of songs (1893), Thoughts and Dreams (1899), Echos (1902), the epic poem Ancient fairy tale (1893), One word (1903), plays Princess (1913), Cassandra (1903—1907), In the Catacombs (1905), and Forest song (1911).

Ukrainka was born in 1871 in the town of Novohrad-Volynskyi of Ukraine. She was the second child of Ukrainian writer and publisher Olha Drahomanova-Kosach, better known under her literary pseudonym Olena Pchilka. Ukrainka's father was Petro Antonovych Kosach, head of the district assembly of conciliators, who came from the northern part of Chernihiv province. After completing high school in Chernihiv Gymnasium, Kosach studied mathematics at the University of Petersburg. Two years later, he moved to Kyiv University and graduated with a degree in law. In 1868 he married Olha Drahomaniv, who was the sister of his friend Mykhaylo Petrovych Drahomanov, a well-known Ukrainian scientist, historian, philosopher, folklorist and public figure. Despite his non-Ukrainian (Belarusian) background, Kosach was devoted to the advancement of Ukrainian culture and financially supported Ukrainian publishing ventures. Ukrainka had three younger sisters, Olha, Oksana, and Isydora, and a younger brother, Mykola. Ukrainka was very close to her uncle Drahomanov, her spiritual mentor and teacher, as well as her brother Mykhaylo, known under the pseudonym Mykhaylo Obachny, whom she called "Mysholosie."


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