«We will not be ashamed to ever remember the time in which we were destined to live» (Lesya Ukrainka and Mykhailo Pavlyk: vectors of life and creativity

Abstract

The history of long-term relations between Mykhailo Pavlyk and
Lesia Ukrainka on the basis of mutual epistolary is highlighted in the article. In
particular, the attention is brought to various facts of their creative and socio-political
cooperation. The multi-vector contacts of friends reconstructed through
correspondence demonstrate their mindset evolution, creative ideas, ideological
convictions, psychoconstitution and life axiology, and on the other hand reflect the
political processes and political parties situation in Galicia and the
Naddnipryanshchyna. To explain this theme biographical, contact, cultural and
historical method based on archival sources, correspondence and memoirs have been
used.
Lesya Ukrainka’s acquaintance with M. Pavlyk began in February 1891, when
she and her mother stopped in Lviv on the way to Vienna. Since then, their intensive
correspondence began, which lasted with some pauses during 1891–1907. In
addition to the correspodenvce some personal meetings between Pavlyk and Lesia
Ukrainka took place mostly in Lviv (there were at least 8 of them) - in January and
March 1891, June 1894, August 1895, April and November 1901, October 1902,
June 1903. Lesya Ukrainka and Pavlyk were close together not only due to their
common interests in public and literary affairs, but also due to common environment,
especially her ties with the family of her uncle Mykhailo Drahomanov, thanks to
which she often acted as a communicator between her uncle and his congener
M. Pavlyk. In the nature of friendly relationship between Lesia Ukrainka and Mykhailo Pavlyk, even in their business correspondence, there is a special empathy,
trust, psychological, emotional and ideological understanding. Pavlyk belonged to
the circle of closest people in Lesya's entourage, just as she played the role of a soul
confidante and a colleague in his life.
The most important vectors in Lesia Ukrainka's relations with M. Pavlyk were
the activities of the Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party, Lesia's financial support
from radical journals of Naddnipryanshchyna, perpetuation of memory and
publication of Mykhailo Drahomanov's written legacy, Lesia Ukrainka's creative
cooperation and publishing in the journal «Narod», common views on the format of
women's edition.