Yurii Ihorovych Andrukhovych (, born March 13, 1960 in Stanislav, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian prose writer, poet, essayist, and translator. His English pen name is Yuri Andrukhovych. Andrukhovych is a representative of the Stanislav phenomenon, a group of Ivano-Frankivsk postmodernist writers and co-founder of the poetic group Bu-Ba-Bu.

Biography

As a child Andrukhovych attended a school with a focus on studying

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

and dreamt to become an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

or a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

star. According to his own memoirs, after recognizing his poor prospects in archaeology he decided to study journalism. In 1982 Andrukhovych graduated with a degree in editing from the Ukrainian Printing Institute in Lviv. In the following years he worked for a newspaper and completed army service. In 1985, Andrukhovych co-founded the Bu-Ba-Bu poetic group, which stands for «burlesque, side-show, buffoonery» (Ukrainian: ''бурлеск, балаган, буфонада'') together with Oleksandr Irvanets and Viktor Neborak. The authors aimed to revive the

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

and comedic literary style. As a member of the group Andrukhovych received the title "partiarch of

Ukrainian literature The term Ukrainian literature () is normally used to describe works of literature written in the Ukrainian language. In a broader sense it can also relate to all literary works created in the territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature mostly de ...

". In 1989 Andrukhovych was accepted as a member of the National Writers' Union of Ukraine, but in 1991 left the organization and initiated the creation of an alternative organ known as Association of Ukrainian Writers, later serving as its vice-president. In 1991 he graduated from literature courses at the

Maxim Gorky Literary Institute The Maxim Gorky Literature Institute () is an institution of higher education in Moscow, Russia. It is located at 25 Tverskoy Boulevard in central Moscow. History The institute was founded in 1933 on the initiative of Maxim Gorky, a writer, foun ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Between 1991 and 1995 Andrukhovych worked as an editor in a number of Ukrainian literary publications. He also authored the cultural review in ''Den'' newspaper and together with Yurko Izdryk founded Ukraine's first postmodernist journal. In 1996 Andrukhovych became

Candidate of Sciences A Candidate of Sciences is a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD-equivalent academic research degree in all the post-Soviet countries with the exception of Ukraine, and until the 1990s it was also awarded in Central and Eastern European countries. It is ...

after submitting a thesis on the works of Bohdan-Ihor Antonych. He also read a masters' course on contemporary

Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a geopolitical term encompassing the countries in Baltic region, Northeast Europe (primarily the Baltic states, Baltics), Central Europe (primarily the Visegrád Group), Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (primaril ...

an literatures at

Lviv University The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (named after Ivan Franko, ) is a state-sponsored university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since 1940 the university is named after Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko. The university is the oldest institution of highe ...

, but refused to pursue a career in

literary science Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, th ...

. Since 2005 Andrukhovych has been co-operating with Polish

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

band ''Karbido'', writing song texts and performing as a singer.

Family

Yuriy Andrukhovych is the father of the Ukrainian writer

Sofia Andrukhovych Sofia Yuriyivna Andrukhovych (, born 17 November 1982) is a Ukrainian writer and translator. She is the wife of Andriy Bondar, Ukrainian writer. Life and career Sofia Andrukhovych was born in Ivano-Frankivsk, the daughter of Yurii Andrukhov ...

Political views

Starting from the late 1980s Andrukhovych was an active participant of the liberal-democratic

People's Movement of Ukraine The People's Movement of Ukraine () is a Ukraine, Ukrainian political party and one of the first Opposition (politics), opposition parties in Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Ukraine.The first officially registered opposition politica ...

. Andrukhovych writes in Ukrainian and is known for his pro-Ukrainian and pro-European views. In his interviews, he said that he respected both the Ukrainian and Russian languages and claims that his opponents do not understand that the very survival of the Ukrainian language is threatened. During the 2004 presidential elections in Ukraine he signed, together with eleven other writers, an open letter in which he called Sovietic

Russian culture Russian culture ( rus, Культура России, Kul'tura Rossii, kʊlʲˈturə rɐˈsʲiɪ) has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and both Eastern cultu ...

: "language of pop music and criminal slang".

Literary work

To date, Andrukhovych has published five novels, four poetry collections, a cycle of short stories, and two volumes of essays, as well as literary translations from English, German,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, and Russian. Some of his writings for example, '' The Moscoviad'' and ''

Perverzion ''Perverzion'' is a novel written by Ukrainian author Yuri Andrukhovych. The novel is considered to be part of Ukrainian post-modernist literature. It was originally written in 1997 in Ukrainian but was translated into English by Michael M. N ...

'' were carried out in a distinct

postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...

style. A list of some of his major works includes: *'' The Sky and Squares'' (Небо і площі, 1985), a book of poems *''

On the Left, Where the Heart Is On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

'' (Зліва, де серце, 1989), a cycle of short stories *''

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

'' (Середмістя, 1989), a book of poems *'' Exotic Birds and Plants'' (Екзотичні птахи і рослини, 1991), a book of poems *''Recreations'' (Рекреації, 1992), first novel *'' The Moscoviad'', (Московіада, 1993), a novel *''

'' (Перверзія, 1996), a novel *'' Disorientation on Location'' (Дезорієнтація на місцевості, 1999), a book of essays *'' My Europe'' (Моя Європа, 2001), a book of essays co-authored with the Polish writer

Andrzej Stasiuk Andrzej Stasiuk (pronounced: ; born 25 September 1960 in Warsaw, Poland) is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed contemporary Polish writers, journalists and literary critics. He is best known for his travel literature and ess ...

*'' Twelve Rings'' (Дванадцять обручів, 2003), a novel *'' Songs for the Dead Rooster'' (Пісні для мертвого півня, 2004), a book of poems *'' The Day Mrs Day Died'' (День смерті Пані День, 2006), an anthology of Ukrainian translations of

American poetry American poetry refers to the poetry of the United States. It arose first as efforts by American colonists to add their voices to English poetry in the 17th century, well before the Constitution of the United States, constitutional unification ...

from the 1950s and 1960s *''

The Devil's Hiding in the Cheese ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' (Диявол ховається в сирі, 2006), a book of essays *'' The Secret. Instead of a Novel'' (Таємниця. Замість роману, 2007), a novel made up of interviews * "Majdan! Ukraine, Europa", 2014, collection of essays with Yaroslav Hrytsak and others (in German). * "Lovers of Justice", (Коханці юстиції, 2017), a novel * Radio Night, (Радіо Ніч, 2020), a novel Andrukhovych's works have been translated and published in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

(separate books),

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

‚

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(separate publications). Translations of Yurii Andrukhovich's works into foreign languages were published by the following publishing houses: Wydawnictwo Czarne (Poland),

Suhrkamp Verlag Suhrkamp Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1950 and is generally acknowledged as one of the leading European publishers of fine literature. Its roots go back to the "arianized" part of the S. Fischer Verlag. In January 2010, ...

(Germany), Knihovna Listů, Fra, Vĕtrné Mlyny (

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

), BAUM, Kalligram, Absynt (

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), József Attila Kör, Ráció, Gondolat (Hungary), Polirom, ALLFA (

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

), Klio (

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

), Cankarjeva Založba (

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

), Fraktura (Croatia), "Парадокс" (

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

), "Македонска реч" (

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

). Andrukhovych's poetry was set to music by the Ukrainian bands "Mertvyi Piven" (The Dead Rooster) and "Plach Ieremii" (Jeremiah’s Lament), and by the Polish group Karbido.

Awards and honors

For his literary writings and activity as a public intellectual, Andrukhovych has been awarded numerous national and international prizes, including the following: * 2001 —

Herder Prize The Herder Prize (), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and Southeast Europe whose life and wor ...

, German international award. * 2005 — Special award of

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (; ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War ...

Peace Prize. * 2006 — Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding, German international literary award. * 2006 —

Angelus Award The Angelus Central European Literature Award also known as Angelus Award () is a Polish international literary award established in 2006 and presented by the city of Wrocław, Lower Silesia. The award is given annually for best prose books writ ...

, Polish international literary award. Andrukhovych was the first winner of this award. * 2014 —

Hannah Arendt Prize The Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought () is a prize awarded to individuals representing the tradition of political theorist Hannah Arendt, especially in regard to totalitarianism. It was instituted by the German Heinrich Böll Foundation ...

, German human rights award. * 2016 —

Goethe Medal The Goethe Medal, also known as the Goethe-Medaille, is a yearly prize given by the Goethe-Institut honoring non-Germans "who have performed outstanding service for the German language and for international cultural relations". It is an offici ...

, German international award. * 2017 — Vilenica International Literary Prize, Slovenian international award. * 2022 —

Heinrich Heine Prize Heinrich Heine Prize refers to three different awards named in honour of the 19th-century German poet Heinrich Heine, Christian Johann Heinrich Heine: * ''Heinrich Heine prize of Düsseldorf'' * ''Heinrich Heine prize of the Ministry for Culture'' ...

, presented by the German city of Dusseldorf. Andrukhovych is a member of the editorial board of Ukrainian periodicals

Krytyka ''Krytyka'' (; "Critique") is a Ukrainian intellectual monthly/bi-monthly magazine and publishing house dedicated to in-depth analysis of current affairs, culture and book reviews in Ukraine and the region. ''Krytyka'' was founded by the Harvard ...

and Potyah 76. He is also a juror for the

Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award The Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award (Polish: ''Międzynarodowa Nagroda Literacka im. Zbigniewa Herberta'') is a Polish international literary award, literature prize established in 2013 in Warsaw and named after a Polish poet, essa ...

References

External links

*
Who is who – Andrukhovych Yurii
(from internet-magazine ''Vgolos'') (in Ukrainian)
Biography from the international literature festival berlin

Yurii Andrukhovych essays in ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia''

Selected poetry by Andrukhovych in Ukrainian

Encyclopedia of modern Ukraine about Yurii Andrukhovych, v.1

Website celebrity-birthdays.com about Yurii Andrukhovych

Biography page for Andrukhovych
at the website of his German publisher,

Suhrkamp Suhrkamp Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1950 and is generally acknowledged as one of the leading European publishers of fine literature. Its roots go back to the "arianized" part of the S. Fischer Verlag. In January 2010, ...

The information page on Andrukhovych
at the website of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, which published the English translation of his first novel, ''Recreations''
Andrukhovych's acceptance speech
for the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding
An Open Letter from Twelve Apolitical Writers about Choice and the Elections

Author's reading of selected poetry and prose extracts, and interview in Ukrainian and English
at the

Kennan Institute The Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was founded in 1974 to carry out studies of the Soviet Union ( Sovietology), and subsequently of post-Soviet Russia and other post-Soviet states. The institute is widel ...

, USA, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrukhovych, Yuriy 1960 births Living people Writers from Ivano-Frankivsk Ukrainian Academy of Printing alumni Ukrainian male poets Postmodern writers Ukrainian translators Ukrainian non-fiction writers Ukrainian essayists Male essayists Ukrainian male writers Translators of William Shakespeare Herder Prize recipients Russian counterculture of the 1990s English–Ukrainian translators