Jurij Lawrynenko Papers BA# ©2007 Columbia University Library SUMMARY INFORMATION Creator Jurij Lawrynenko, 1905-1987 Title and dates Jurij Lawrynenko Papers, 1880s-1980s Abstract The papers are comprised of correspondence, manuscripts, documents, diaries, memoirs, research notes, notebooks, printed material, books, photographs, and audio materials. These papers document the life and work of Jurij Lawrynenko (1905-1987), prominent literature figure of Ukrainian emigration. Size 48 linear feet [66 archival document boxes, 17 archival storage boxes for audio materials, 6 card file boxes, 1 flat box] Call number BA # Location Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library Bakhmeteff Archive Butler Library, 6th Floor Jurij Lawrynenko Papers 535 West 114th Street New York, NY 10027 Languages of material Ukrainian, Russian, English Biographical Note Jurij Adrijanovych Lawrynenko (Dyvnych) born on May 3, 1905, Khyzhyntsi Zvenyhorod district, Kyiv county, was an author, editor, literary theorist and critic, historian, political and social journalist, and prominent figure in the Ukrainian community in the United States. Jurij Lawrynenko graduated from Kharkiv University, where he studied in the Department of Literature and Linguistics from 1926 to 1930. In 1932, he completed his post-graduate education in the Kharkiv Institute on the History of Literature, part of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. From 1926 to 1930, he also worked as a manager of the art and proofreading department at the “Visti VUTsVK” newspaper. J. Lawrynenko was arrested twice by the Soviet regime for political offenses and became a prisoner in Stalin’s Gulag system. He was sentenced to five years in a concentration camp followed by three years of exile. He served his term in Norillag (Taymyr) and in the North Caucasus until 1942. In 1943 he ended up in Austria as a forced-laborer. He was liberated by the French army in 1945 and lived in Mittenwald DP (displaced person) camp. In April 1950, Lawrynenko settled in the United States. He became a key figure in the cultural, literary, political, and social life of the Ukrainian community. He was a fellow of UVAN (the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States of America). He was a member of DOBRUS (the Democratic Union of Ukrainians Formerly Persecuted by the Soviet Government) and of MUR (the Ukrainian Art Movement). He was a co-founder and active member of Slovo (in English, “the Word”) an organization of Ukrainian writers in exile. He was editor of the Ukrains’ki Visti (Ukrainian News) and, from 1959 to [1966?], of the Ukrainian broadcasts of Radio Liberty. Jurij Lawrynenko died in New York on December 14, 1987. The bibliography of the works of Jurij Lawrynenko contains over three hundred titles, including articles, essays, memoirs, and monographs on history, politics, literature, and philosophy. Ukrainian scholar Tetiana Shestopalova describes Lawrynenko as “a figure outstanding, brilliant, and productive in the creative life of two continents, whose life doesn’t fit any simple pattern of the artist adapting himself to alien soil.” Description Page 2 of 59 Jurij Lawrynenko Papers The bulk of the collection consists of Jurij Lawrynenko's professional and personal correspondence, manuscripts, research notes, and printed materials. In addition there are also photographs, documents, diaries, notebooks, memoirs, and audio materials. There are also extensive files, including documents and editorial materials, from the major Ukrainian publications in Germany and the United States (Ukrains’ka Literaturna Hazeta, Literaturno- Naukovyi Zbirnyk, et al.), and from "Slovo", the Ukrainian writers’ organization. The collection contains some unpublished and unknown original manuscripts by Lawrynenko and other prominent Ukrainian authors. Original manuscripts could be found in the following series: Series I - Correspondence; Series V - Writings; Series VII - Subject Files. A large part of the collection consists of printed materials, including books and brochures, rare serial publications and periodicals from Ukraine and from the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany, the United States, and Canada. There are many clippings with Lawrynenko's margin notes and comments that make them a valuable resource for the study of Lawrynenko’s professional activities. Printed materials are not separated from the rest of the collection, remaining in the various series where they logically belong. For preservation purposes, fragile and deteriorating newspapers and clippings were photocopied on acid-free paper; the photocopies remain in the collection while the originals were sent to the Instytut Literatury in Kyiv, Ukraine. Issues of the newspaper Vpered were microfilmed (microfilm #2007-1010), and the originals transferred to the Shevchenko Scientific Society in New York. The materials in this collection document personal and professional life of Jurij Lawrynenko, as well as the formation and development of the literary, cultural, and social life of the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany and the United States. They are extremely valuable resources for research on Ukrainian literature, journalism, publishing, and political movements, and on the history of Ukrainian emigration in the 20th century. Arrangement The papers are arranged into ten series. Series I: Correspondence PAGES 10-23 Subseries 1: Correspondence with Individuals PAGES 10-20 Subseries 2: Correspondence with Organizations PAGES 21-23 Series II: Biographical Materials and Documents PAGE 24 Series III: Photographs PAGE 25 Series IV: Diaries and Notebooks PAGE 26 Series V: Writings PAGES 27-35 Subseries 1: Memoirs PAGE 27 Subseries 2: Plays PAGE 27 Subseries 3: Monographs PAGES 27-30 Subseries 4: Major Historical and Political Writings and Studies PAGES 30-31 Subseries 5: Major Literary Studies PAGE 31 Subseries 6: Essays and Social and Political Journalism PAGES 31-35 Subseries 7: Notes PAGE 35 Subseries 8: Lectures given in 1945 in Displaced Persons' Camps, Germany PAGE 35 Series VI: Research and Background Materials PAGES 36-39 Subseries 1: Literature PAGE 36 Page 3 of 59 Jurij Lawrynenko Papers Subseries 2: Ukrainian History, State system, and Economy PAGE 36 Subseries 3: Personalia PAGES 36-37 Subseries 4: Clippings on General Subjects PAGE 37 Subseries 5: Serials and Periodicals PAGES 37-38 Subseries 6: Bibliography PAGES 38-39 Series VII: Subject Files PAGES 40-44 Series VIII: Radio Liberty PAGES 45-47 Subseries 1: Internal Office Documents PAGE 45 Subseries 2: Correspondence PAGE 45 Subseries 3: Program Transcripts PAGE45 Subseries 4: Radio Scripts PAGES 45-46 Subseries 5: Reviews PAGE 46 Subseries 6: Research Materials PAGE 47 Series IX: Audio Materials PAGES 48-58 Subseries 1: Lawrynenko's Broadcasts for the Radio "Svoboda" PAGES 48-56 Subseries 2: General Records on Various Subjects (including family matters) PAGE 55-58 Subseries 3: NYUK PAGE 58 Subseries 4: Untitled Tapes PAGE 58 Series X: Oversize Materials PAGE 59 Series I: Correspondence (Boxes 1-13) Arranged alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically. Photographs were removed and stored in the Series III: Photographs. Files include related to correspondence materials, such as articles, notes, printed materials. Additional correspondence is located in Series V: Writings, and Series VII: Subject Files (references provided). Subseries 1: Correspondence with Individuals (Boxes 1-11). This subseries contains of Jurij Lawrynenko's personal and professional correspondence, primarily in Ukrainian, with some English and Russian correspondence. Included various related materials such as original manuscripts, clippings, printed materials. Unidentified correspondence arranged chronologically and stored at the end of the subseries. Subseries 2: Correspondence with Organizations (Boxes 11-13). Subseries is comprised of correspondence with professional, funding, and public organizations. Includes enclosures, such as book contracts, and booklets. Series II: Biographical Materials and Documents (Box 13) This series contains biographical information, personal documents, interviews, obituaries and other materials regarding Lawrynenko's life and works. Arranged by type of materials. Series III: Photographs (Box 13) Group photographs and portraits of J. Lawrynenko, his family, friends, and Ukrainian prominent figures. Arranged by type of photographs. Alphabetical list provided. Series IV: Diaries and Notebooks (Box 14) Occasional notes and entries of 1968, 1970-1975. Series V: Writings (Box 14-44) Handwritten manuscripts, typescripts, drafts, notes of Jurij Lawrynenko's writings make up this series along with related printed and research materials including original manuscripts by others. Page 4 of 59 Jurij Lawrynenko Papers Additional writings by Lawrynenko are located in other series, such as Correspondence, Subject Files, Radio Liberty. Subseries 1: Memoirs (Box 14). This subseries is comprised of drafts, notes, related printed materials. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 2: Plays (Box 14). Drafts, notes, manuscripts, typescripts make up this subseries. The original manuscripts are in poor condition; for preservation purposes they were photocopied on acid-free paper. The originals remain in the collection along with photocopies, but use of photocopies is strongly recommended. Arranged alphabetically by title. Subseries 3: Monographs (Boxes 15-25). This subseries is comprised of manuscripts, typescripts, drafts, notes, related research and printed materials of Jurij Lawrynenko's books. Arranged alphabetically