Start page

Lesja Ukrainka

Encyclopedia of the life and works

?

Muzychka Andrew V.

Andrew V. Muzychka (1886 – 1966) – a Ukrainian teacher and scholar of literature. Much of his work were devoted to the works of Lesja Ukrainka.

Biography

A.V.Muzychka born 6 December 1886 in the village Dobrovody (now Zbarazh district, Ternopil region) in a family of farmers – Basil and Alexandra Muzychka. He graduated from rural school, then studied at school in Zbarazh.

He graduated from secondary school in Ternopil Gymnasium and entered the philology faculty of Lviv University, graduating in 1911.

In 1911 – 1918's, he taught Latin and Greek in Ternopil schools, participated in the Ukrainian public organizations "Sich" and "Prosvita (Enlightenment)". It remains unknown why at the beginning of the 1st World War, he was drafted into the military. It is known that in 1916 – 1917's, he taught at the Ukrainian Classical Gymnasium in Ternopil.

A.Muzychka actively participated in the November overturn: in the night from October 31 to November 1, 1918 a group of students under his leadership disarmed Ternopil gendarmerie, other students he sent to the neighboring villages with orders to take power and to send armed men to Zbarazh and Ternopil.

After the overturn A.Muzychka and P.Karmansky were elected delegates from Ternopil to Ukrainian national council. Simultaneously P.Karmansky was head and A.Muzychka – member of Ternopil county council. In some notes of Soviet time this news was faked as "participation of A.Muzychka in the establishment of Soviet (ie Bolshevik) government".

Later A.Muzychka entered the Ukrainian Galician Army, where he was platoon commander and then captain. In autumn 1919 he took part in the "Vinnitsa" Revolutionary Committee of Ukrainian Galician Army.

It is not yet determined when and how A.Muzychka arrived in Odessa. From 1920 to 1930 he was a professor at the Odessa Institute of Education, taught Ukrainian literature. At the Institute, he also managed bibliographic circle.

Along with teaching A.Muzychka engaged in scientific work as a member of the Odessa Committee of ethnology, a member of the Odessa scientific society (1926 – 1930), a staff member of the Commission for publication of modern Ukrainian literature (1927 – 1928).

In 1925 Higher Attestation Commission of Ukraine gave him the title of professor.

In 1927, he participated in a meeting on the draft of the new Ukrainian spelling, which was held in Kharkiv.

In early 1931 A.Muzychka’s article in the "Kotsubynsky" collection caused destructive "review" by H.Tkachenko, who accused the author of demonstrative disregard Marxist method. April 27, 1931 A.V.Muzychka was arrested by Odessa department of GPU (boshevist secret police). He was accused under section 54-11 of the Criminal Code. Charges – participation in counterrevolutionary conspiracy, planned penalty – 5 years in prison camps. The investigation lasted more than 10 months, and March 5, 1932 three-membered court of GPU UkrSSR decided to release him from detention, banning live in the Ukrainian SSR and 11 other regions of the Soviet Union for three years.

Thus, the message that A.Muzychka goes 5 years of exile, is untrue. In fact, he was penalted by expulsion. It was the smallest of all possible punishments – criminal Soviets could not just let an innocent man to the will.

We still do not know why A.Muzychka transferred to Kazakhstan and what he did from 1932 to 1942 years. In 1942, he worked in Kyzyl-Orda Pedagogical Institute. In the paper of 1955, he signed as a senior lecturer in Russian literature of Semipalatinsk Pedagogical Institute.

In 1956 A.Muzychka presented thesis in philology "Lesja Ukrainka and her creativity".

Resolution of the Presidium of Odessa Regional Court of 12 September 1956 was reversed judicial three of 1932. A.Muzychka was rehabilitated "for lack of evidence". He was looking for ways to return to Ukraine, but it turned out that there 70 year old scientist nobody needs. So not necessary that we still have no his photos!

There is some notes that in 1958 A.Muzychka had doctorate, but none so far that he could not call it a theme, submit bibliographic description of abstract, time and place of protection. Also expressed the statement that in 1958 he was awarded the title of professor. These subjects require critical examination on the basis of documents.

During the period 1958 – 1966 again we do not have any details of his life. A.V.Muzychka died Sept. 8, 1966, buried in Semipalatinsk (now – Semey city, Kazakhstan). The fate of his personal archive is not clear.

Scientific creativity

Scientific creativity of A.V.Muzychka clearly divided into two periods – from 1920 to his arrest in 1931 and after the "biographical black hole" – from 1942 until his death. The first period includes 15 papers (75%), the second – 5 (25 %).

The works of the first period, including a monograph of Lesja Ukrainka, written in 1923, marked a desire to use Marxist terminology and present Lesja Ukrainka as consistent Marxist, even as organisator of Marxist revolutionary movement in Ukraine.

In the works of the second period author was not guided by Marxism as a theoretical system (albeit dogmatic), but only the instructions of superiors. The statement in the articles of this period that "Autumn tale" written under the influence of the works of Lenin and Stalin, that dialogue "Three minutes" is the anthem of Marxism-Leninism and satire of the Mensheviks, that in the drama "Light blue rose" author exposes the decadence (relevant quote is in the O.Yablonska's article) – all are baseless fantasies that have no relation to the works of Lesja Ukrainka and directly derived from editorials of "Pravda" – main bolshevik newspaper.

Scientific uselessness of these works serve as an illustration of the well-known thesis that all Soviet science of Lesja Ukrainka was a long and difficult way of stating what has been obvious in 1913, in the same statement the same obvious in 1991.

The only merit of A.Muzychka is that he quoted in his book excerpts from letters of Lesja Ukrainka to Margaret Komarova-Sydorenko, that were later lost and known only from its publication.

A.V.Muzychka's works

Poetic creativity of H. S. Skovoroda (1923)

Materials for the history of Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood in Odessa Regional archive. Report in ethnographic dialectological section of Odessa commission of local history. Information about her: Bulletin of the Odessa commission of local history, 1924, № 1, p. 21 – 22.

[Book Review] M. Zerov. Lesja Ukrainka. Critical biographical sketch. – Chervonyj shljakh (Red path). – 1924. – № 8-9. – S. 345 – 348.

By the beginning of the new Ukrainian literature. – Red path, 1925, № 1-2.

Lesja Ukrainka. Her life, social activities and poetry. – Odesa: 1925. – 108 p.

The life path of Ivan Franko. – Life and revolution, 1926, № 5, p. 70 – 83.

Magazines Ukrainian lyrics 1926 – Red path, 1927, № 2, p. 69 – 82.

Ways of Ivan Franko's poetic creativity. – Odesa: 1927.

Marusja tale (Odessa 1834). – Notes historical-philological department of VUAN, 1927, v. 13-14.

On the education of Kotsubynsky. – Over one hundred years, 1927, v. 1.

From I. Tobilevych's creativity: the first edition of the first act of "Daddy's Tale" play. Report on the meeting of the Historical Section of the VUAN (1926). Information about it: Ukraine, 1927, Vol. 3, p. 194.

Marko Cheremshyna. – Red path, 1927, № 6, p. 47 – 56.

Marko Cheremshyna (Ivan Semanyuk). – State publishing house of Ukraine, 1928. – 280 p.

Writer of soviet routine. – Red path, 1928, № 4 [abouth the "Blue train" by P.Panch]

The dramatic works of Lesja Ukrainka and its understanding. – Red path, 1928, № 9-10. – S. 84 – 102.

Creative method of Valerian Pidmohylny. – Red path, 1930, № 10.

Kotsubynsky's naturalistic impressionism. – In "Kotsubynsky", 1931, v. 1.

The challenge put forward by the war of 1812, and Denis Davydov. – Kyzyl- Orda: 1942.

Revolution of 1905 year and Lesja Ukrainka's creativity. – Semipalatinsk pedagogical institute. Scientists note, 1955, vol. 1, p. 67 – 81.

Lesja Ukrainka and her creativity. – [Semipalatinsk]: Abstract of diss… candidate of philology, 1956, 48 p.

Lesja Ukrainka's fighting against naturalism and decadence in the 1890s. – Semipalatinsk pedagogical institute. Scientists note, 1959, vol. 3, p. 192 – 225.

Literature on A. V. Muzychka

List presented in ukrainian version.

M.Zh., October 6, 2012

Additional articles