Vasyl Stus Commemoration Readings

January 22, 2008

On 22 January the solemn Commemoration Readings held in memory of the great Poet Vasyl Stus took place in Ostroh Academy National University. “It has become a tradition and occurrence to hold Vasyl Stus Commemoration Days in Ostroh Academy as the Academy is not only an educational institution but also a spiritual centre, the cradle of the national idea”, said OANU Rector Ihor Pasichnyk at the opening ceremony.

The Readings were marked with the participation of the chief editor of newspaper The Day Larysa Ivshyna, president of the National Radio Broadcasting Company Viktor Nabrusko, famous linguists, literary critics and the members of Ostroh Youth Club of Free Intellectual Communication.

The main topics for discussion at the readings were Stus’ life and his activities, his little known facts from his life in particular. For instance, a post-graduate student of Donetsk National University Sergii Nesvit told about Vasyl Stus’ student years in Stalin Pedagogical University, the student of Ostroh Academy Master’s program Zoia Oleksiichuk presented a report on Vasyl Stus’ neologisms in his works. In addition, the students were reading Stus’ poems and listened to the recordings of the poet reading his own masterpieces himself kindly presented by his son, Shevchenko Prize winner Dmytro Stus.

At the end of the Readings, Ihor Pasichnyk awarded Viktor Nabrusko with the silver medal Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi for his contribution to the development of the Ukrainian State and the national culture and spirituality. It is worth mentioning that it was at the initiative of the National Radio Broadcasting Company that the reprinting of CDs with recorded Stus’ poems was made possible.