1856–1916
Ivan Franko
Writer, scholar and thinker
Writer, poet, scholar and journalist, the author of thousands of works. He was one of the first to argue for Ukraine’s political independence.
Key accomplishments
- The poem Moses, the novels Zakhar Berkut and Boryslav Is Laughing, the poem “The Stonebreakers”
- Doctorate in philosophy from the University of Vienna (1893)
- Co-founder of the Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party (1890)
- Translated from 14 languages; researcher of folklore and literary history
Who he was
Ivan Franko was born in the village of Nahuievychi in the Lviv region, the son of a village blacksmith. He studied at the Drohobych gymnasium and at Lviv University. He was jailed three times in Austrian prisons for his political views (1877, 1880, 1889). Despite this, he earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Vienna.
His story
Franko is one of the most prolific authors in the history of Ukrainian literature: poetry, prose, drama, scholarly works, criticism, journalism and translations. His poem Moses is a reflection on a people, a leader and the path to freedom. The novel Zakhar Berkut tells of a community that defends its freedom.
Franko was a co-founder of the first Ukrainian political party, the Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party, and one of the first to argue for a politically independent Ukraine, in his article “Beyond the Limits of the Possible” (1900). He died in Lviv in 1916.
Why it matters today
Franko combined literature, scholarship and public life and became one of the most influential Ukrainian intellectuals of his time. Lviv National University bears his name, and his portrait appears on the 20-hryvnia banknote.
Interesting facts
- In 1915 the process of nominating Franko for the Nobel Prize in Literature began, but he died in 1916, and the prize is not awarded posthumously.
