Ivan Kotliarevsky
, 1769 - 1838
Ivan Kotliarevsky is known as “the first modern Ukrainian writer”. He was born in Poltava into the family of a government clerk. Kotliarevsky studied at Poltava Theological Seminary (1780–1789), he worked as a private tutor (quite a popular profession those days) after graduation. He worked in small villages across the country, and this way he gained a deeper understanding of Ukrainian folklore and everyday rural routines. In 1796–1808 he served in the Imperial Russian Army and took part in the Russo-Turkish War. After his retirement from the Army, he served as a supervisor at school for children of impoverished noble families. During Napoleon’s invasion of Russia (1812) he organized a Cossack regiment in the town of Horoshyn, and attained the rank of major. In 1816–1821 Kotliarevsky was managing Poltava Theatre. His two plays (Natalka Poltavka/Natalka from Poltava and Moskal-Charivnyk/The Muscovite-Sorcerer) are living classics of Ukrainian literature. His best-known literary work is the Cossack Aeneid, which is considered to be the very first poem (as well as the first ever literary work) to be published in the “modern” Ukrainian language.
Bio prepared by Maria Pushkina, National Academic Janka Kupała Theatre, maryiapushkina@gmail.com
Records in database:
