Boryslav in Flames by Ivan Franko is a pioneering novel that depicts the rise of the labour movement in Western Ukraine. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the industrial revolution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the 1860s. As industry burgeons in Boryslav, a nascent working class emerges, inspired by socialist ideals – a unique phenomenon in mostly agrarian Galicia.Central to the narrative is Benedio, a lowly mason’s assistant who organizes the striking work...

Many of the stories in this volume deal with the life of a young boy growing up in Galicia, in the far east of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the mid-1800s. They depict the poverty and difficult conditions in the region at that time. Although autobiographical in nature, Ivan Franko wrote that the stories could not unreservedly be considered a part of his autobiography, because in all of them he had allowed himself a fair amount of creative freedom.Ivan Franko's sto...

Many of the stories in this volume deal with the life of a young boy growing up in Galicia, in the far east of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the mid-1800s. They depict the poverty and difficult conditions in the region at that time. Although autobiographical in nature, Ivan Franko wrote that the stories could not unreservedly be considered a part of his autobiography, because in all of them he had allowed himself a fair amount of creative freedom.Franko’s stories often deal with p...

A philosopher obstinately searching for truth in the 1700s, badgered by the church for speaking out on human rights and the hypocrisy of the ruling elite, Skovoroda was forced to live an unsettled life.Hryhoriy Skovoroda (1722–1794), dubbed a “wandering” philosopher, was one of the most colourful figures in 18th century Ukraine. He spent most of his life travelling about the country and spoke out in defence of justice and freedom for the common folk, often to his own detriment. His...

A philosopher obstinately searching for truth in the 1700s, badgered by the church for speaking out on human rights and the hypocrisy of the ruling elite, Skovoroda was forced to live an unsettled life.Hryhoriy Skovoroda (1722-1794), dubbed a "wandering" philosopher, was one of the most colourful figures in 18th century Ukraine. He spent most of his life travelling about the country and spoke out in defence of justice and freedom for the common folk, often to his own detriment. His...

The central character in the gripping, psychological novel Duel is the Ukrainian intellectual Kost Horobenko. Set in the first years of the new Soviet Ukrainian state, the period of militant Communism, Horobenko, is forever duelling with his alter ego, the Ukrainian nationalist.This novel is one of a number of early works from the 1920s by Borys Antonenko-Davydovych, in which the writer tries to analyse the fate of intellectuals during the revolution in the Russian Empire,...

Hardly Ever Otherwise by Maria Matios is a powerful family saga set in Western Ukraine under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Through intertwined lives and destinies, Matios examines the inevitability of human passions and choices against the backdrop of time and tradition.In Hardly Ever Otherwise, Maria Matios crafts a richly layered narrative that explores the lives of several Western Ukrainian families during the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s twilight years. Matios’s s...

Precursor by Vasyl Shevchuk tells the story of Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Ukraine’s “wandering philosopher” of the 18th century. A defender of justice and freedom, Skovoroda lived an unsettled life, challenging social and religious hypocrisy in his search for truth.In Precursor, Vasyl Shevchuk offers a compelling portrait of Hryhoriy Skovoroda, one of Ukraine’s most celebrated thinkers and a unique figure of the 18th century. Known for his philosophical parables and folk...