BOOK NOTE: "Iker" in English

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Translated by Maxim Tarnawsky and published by Mosty Publishers, "Weekdays and Sundays" is a compilation of Ivan Kernytsky's satiric and comic feuilletons that portray Ukrainian life in the 20th century.

Mr. Kernytsky's stories reflect his compassion for humanity through his earnest representations of rural and city life during the difficult years before the second world war, while simultaneously evoking a chuckle from the reader with silly anecdotes colored with local dialect. His story writing continues with the tragi-comic Ukrainian epic in Displaced Persons camps, later telling of the passage to America. His final Ukrainian folklore depicts life in new settlements in North America.

Many of Mr. Kernytsky's tales are satirical, yet they possess a benevolent purpose: the author once said he hoped to "chase the sorrow from at least one anguished heart or to bring a calm smile to someone's lips."

Mr. Kernytsky, who died in 1984 in New York, was the author of several Ukrainian books and countless humorous articles that appeared in Ukrainian newspapers and journals, as well as the playwrite of several dramatic works staged by Ukrainian theatrical troupes. He was a very popular Ukrainian writer in the United States, and was very much appreciated by his fans, who knew him as "Iker," for his warm humor and Ukrainian sentiments.

The 192-page book is illustrated by Edward Kozak, with a cover design by Bohdan Tytla. The book may be ordered from: Mosty Publishers, 6509 Lawnton Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19126-3745. The book's price is $20, including shipping and handling.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 16, 2000, No. 3, Vol. LXVIII

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