Executed Renaissance: Mykola Khvylovy. Les Kurbas

Weloveua proceeding with acquaintance of our dearest readers with series of material about creative and talent Ukrainians, whose lives and works ranks to the Executed Renaissance epoch.

 Mykola Khvylovy

Mykola Khvylovy (1893 — 1933) is one of the founders of Ukrainian post-revolutionary prose. His death marked as beginning of persecution and punishment of Ukrainian intellectuals’ representatives by Stalin’s totalitarian regime. These persons, including Mykola Khvylovy, are designated “Executed Renaissance”.

He was born as Mykola Fitilyov in Trostyanets, Kharkov Governorate (nowadays Sumskaya district) to a Russian nobleman father and Ukrainian schoolteacher mother.

Since 1916 Mykola Khvylovy was a participant of the First World War, in 1919 joined the Communist Party. He moved to Kharkiv in 1921, where he worked at the plant and at the same time published his first poetry collection. Also he created several literary organizations, which attracted talent young writers.

Khvylovy supported Communist Party?  He sincerely believed to communist ideas about peoples’ equality. He believed that after revolution Ukraine will be one of the most developed and culture country all over the world.  However in the course of time, Khvylovy disappointed with the policy of Bolsheviks’ regime and appealed to orientate on European communists. Authorities didn’t like this orientation of the writer. In 1927 procuracy established the case on Mykola Khvylovy.

Because of Stalin’s repressions against his friends in the pro-Ukrainian Communist movement, Khvylovy committed suicide on 13 May 1933 in front of his friends in his apartment in Kharkiv.

After his death, his works were banned in the Soviet Union and because of his symbolic potency were mostly not permitted until near the end or after the collapse of the Soviet Union. All this time his daughter stored his works, under the will of author.

Les Kurbas

Les Kurbas (1887 — 1937)  is worldwide Ukrainian movie and theater director, actor and writer.

Kurbas was born in Sambir ( nowadays Lvivska district) and was given a double name Oleksandr-Zenon, for short Les or Oles. His parents were actors. Kurbas was educated person; he studied at University of Vienna and Lviv University. But nevertheless he dreams to be the actor, like his father. And in 1916 his dream came true and takes the stage of the Kiev Theatre.

Also Les Kurbas initiated  several magazines, where he published his reviews and other material devoted to the Theatre.  In 1925 he was admitted as one of the greatest theater director and he was awarded the title Republic People’s Artist.

It was only in 1922 that conditions in the now Soviet-ruled Ukraine were stable enough to allow Kurbas to found the “Berezil'” in Kiev. In 1927 Kurbas met up-and-coming playwright Mykola Kulish in the Ukrainian capital of the time, Kharkiv, where the “Berezil'” had moved in 1926.

Soviet critics didn’t understand some his productions. They accused Les of destroying of Soviet reality. Soviet audience also didn’t support his innovative products. That is why in 1933 the theatre director was ousted from “Berezil”, nevertheless the official version was declining attendance at the theatre.  Kurbas knew that his discharging is the last straw of authorities’ passion. Also he knew, that the next step will be his arrest.

That is why he was allowed to go to Moscow. But in the same year Kurbas was arrested. He was accused of nationalistic productions. In fact, the reason was the denunciation of one of the high-rank officials, whose wife was an actress, and fell in love with Kurbas, and eventually committed suicide.

Kurbas was transferred to Kharkiv, where in 1934 Soviet authorities carried a sentence – five years of exile in a labor camp on the White Sea Canal (northern Russia).

Kurbas was then moved to the Solovetsky Islands, and he was shot in Sandarmokh, Karelia, on November 3, 1937. Soviet premier Joseph Stalin had directly ordered the killing of exactly 1,111 artists and intellectuals held in Solovki prison camp. Kurbas’ friend Mykola Kulish, who had been held in a cage like an animal and consequently fallen into a state of utter mental derangement, met the same fate.

After Stalin’s death, Kurbas was rehabilitated in 1957.

In 2007 Ukrainian authorities organized the celebration the 120^th anniversary of birth of the genious Ukrainian theater director, actor and writer.

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