Jacyk Center's funds and campaigns support Ukrainian history publications

EDMONTON - The Petro Jacyk Center for Ukrainian Historical Research at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta annually awards research grants and fellowships, and has several ongoing projects. The center's series of Ukrainian-language translations makes the best works in Ukrainian history published in the West accessible to Ukrainian language readers.

This series was initiated in 1995 with the publication of the two volumes of Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky's "Historical Essays"; and in 1997, the translation of Zenon Kohut's" Russian Centralism and Ukrainian Autonomy" was published.

The Jacyk Center's Monograph Series fosters the publication of new historical research, history textbooks and translations of classic works of history. Its first volume, "Ukraine between East and West," contains the lectures of the eminent Harvard specialist of Byzantine and Slavic studies, Ihor Sevcenko. The center also supports an archival project that is preparing a new volume of sources on the Ukrainian Kozaks and co-sponsors a number of publications in Ukraine, including the reprinting in Ukrainian of Mykhailo Hrushevsky's "Istoriia Ukrainy-Rusy."

However the Jacyk Center's major undertaking is the preparation of the English-language translation of Hryshevsky's "Istoriia Ukrainy-Rusy" ("History of Ukraine-Rus"). Six translators - Marta Skorupsky, Ian Press, Bohdan Struminski, Andrij Wynnyckyj, Leonid Heretz and Marta Olynyk - have worked on the 11 books of the work. Uliana M. Pasicznyk of Toronto serves as managing editor, and its editorial staff includes Myroslav Yurkevich, Serhii Plokhy, Dushan Bednarsky, Marko Stech and Andrij Hornjatkevyc. Numerous scholars serve as specialist editors and consultants.

The National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, awarded a grant toward the translation of the "History's" three-volume subseries on the history of the Ukrainian Kozaks, and the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies provided the CIUS Press, publisher of "History," with funds to subsidize the printing of two volumes.

Furthermore, the Petro Jacyk Educational Foundation has spearheaded a fund-raising drive to benefit the project. Among the many donors to the Hrushevsky Translation Project, five benefactors have chosen to sponsor a volume by contributing $100,000 or more: Petro and Ivanna Stelmach, Hanna Mazyrenko, Sofia Wojtyna, Mykhailo and Daria Kowalsky, and an anonymous benefactor.

The most important history of Ukraine written in modern times, Hrushevsky's "History of Ukraine-Rus" was originally published in 10 volumes (11 books) between 1898 and 1937. It remains unsurpassed in examining the sources and scholarly literature on Ukrainian history from ancient times to the mid-17th century. The text is essential to the study of Eastern European, Russian, Balkan and Middle Eastern history.

The English-language edition is a full translation of the original, augmented with introductions and updates by contemporary scholars. Newly compiled bibliographies include all manuscripts, published sources, and secondary works used by Hrushevsky.

In September book launches of Volume 1 of "History of Ukraine-Rus" will take place in the following cities: September 18 in Edmonton, September 26 in New York, and September 28-29 in Toronto. This volume may be purchased for $79.95 from CIUS, 352 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E8; fax (403) 492-4967.

The complete set is being offered until December 31 at the special pre-publication subscription price of $500. Volumes will be sent as they are published. Further information is available on the web home page: http://www.utoronto.ca/cius

The Hrushevsky project organizers have appealed to the Ukrainian community to support the work on subsequent volumes with generous donations. Checks payable to "CIUS - Hrushevsky Project" can be mailed to the CIUS address listed above.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 27, 1997, No. 30, Vol. LXV

| Home Page |