There is a historic landmark on a quiet street in Yalta, formerly Leszczynski’s mansion. The ground floor hosts the exposition “Yalta: Culture at the Turn of the 20th Century.” The second floor accommodates a literary museum dedicated to the prominent Ukrainian poet, Lesia Ukrainka (Larysa Kosach-Kvitka), which opened on February 25, 1991, in commemoration of her 120th anniversary, and focuses on the time she spent in this scenic resort city, and the work she accomplished in that period.
Says museum’s curator Oleksandra VISYCH: “When I first visited the place eight years ago, in the course of practical training as a student of the Ukrainian Department, Crimean University of Humanities, I froze in front of a portrait that greets every visitor. I was struck by the philosophic depth of this work of art, created by the noted Crimean painter, Boris Lugovskoi. I had since dreamed of getting a job at the museum and I was happy when my dream came true. One can’t remain indifferent when dealing with personalities of Lesia Ukrainka’s caliber.”
We know that Lesia Ukrainka found herself in the Crimea because of her grave illness.
“She was 19 when the doctors said she had to go to the Crimea. She and her mother, a writer by the name of Olena Pchilka, went to Saky in July 1890 where Lesia took a one-month course of mud treatment. The Crimea turned out to be a creatively inspiring environment. Despite her physical condition, Lesia wrote a lot, including her traveling experiences. She started by visiting Yevpatoria, not far from Saky. There she wrote her first Crimean poem Tysha morska (Seaside Quiet). While on a voyage from Yevpatoria to Sevastopol, she wrote Hrai, moia pisne (O Sing, My Song!). Later, she traveled to Bakhchisaray and dedicated three sonnets to the place — Bakhchisaray, Bakhchisaray Palace, and The Tomb of Bakhchisaray — that would be included in the Crimean Memories cycle. She returned to Sevastopol via Yalta and Baydar Gate [a pass in the Crimean Mountains – Ed.]. En route she wrote Baydary and Merdven (Hell’s Staircase). That time she spent only two days in Yalta, waiting to board a ship to Odesa. After familiarizing herself with the local literary landmarks, Lesia Ukrainka wrote Nadsonova domivka v Yalti (Nadson’s Home in Yalta). In June 1891, she settled in Yevpatoria where she wrote Na chovni (In a Boat) and Bezsonna nich (A Sleepless Night). Her next stay in the Crimea was in 1897. She sailed to Yalta in early June and rented a dacha in the Chukhurlar Ravine. A trip to the Crimean mountain peak of Ai-Petri gave birth to the poem Uryvky z lysta (Excerpts from a Letter).
“At the start of October, she moved to the home of the local barrister, Leszczynski, on Yekaterininskaia Str. in downtown Yalta (where our museum is). The place was cold, and so was Lesia. On New Year’s Eve 1891, she and her mother moved to Dr. Derizhanov’s pension at the Villa Iphigenia. The place name prompted Lesia to write the drama in verse Iphigenia in Tauris. Regrettably, she never got around to finishing it. Lesia Ukrainka spent almost a year in Yalta, during which period she wrote the poetic cycle Krymski vidhuky (Crimean Echoes) and started translating Byron’s Cain and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She made her last trip to the Crimea in 1907-08, together with her husband Klyment Kvitka. The couple arrived in Sevastopol in early spring and planned to settle in Balaklava, but a physician in Sevastopol warned against it [considering Lesia’s condition], so they returned to Alupka and then to Yalta. They first stayed at the Yalta Hotel and then rented a room at Rozanov’s dacha where she wrote the dialog in verse Aisha and Muhammad, did the final editing of Cassandra, and continued working on the drama Rufinus and Priscilla.”
Were the books on display published during her lifetime?
“Yes, everything we have managed to collect is on permanent display, including rare editions from the turn of the 20th century. This collection was put together by the museum staff, but it includes visitors’ donations (not only books). Quite a few people, stepping into this mansion, become aware of its special atmosphere, they sense Lesia Ukrainka’s spirit, so they want to visit again and make a contribution to the museum stock, including to the Music Room with a 160-year-old grand piano resembling the one she was so fond of playing. We plan to use it in our project ‘A Night at the Museum,’ to generate that special atmosphere. Among the memorable items are a lace collar from her sister Olha’s dress, part of Lesia’s necklace, a teapot and butter dish of the Kosach family. To think that these objects were once touched by Lesia. There are also items characteristic of the times, including an ancient photo camera like the one used by Lesia’s brother. Lesia was fond of posing for the camera, with her mother and brother Mykhailo. There are contemporary postcards illustrating her travels, a photo of Serhii Merzhynsky (Lesia met him on Yalta’s embankment, they fell in love [but he died of TB with her at his side – Ed.]) to whom she dedicated her best lyrical verse.”
We step into the next room, where I see countless banduras. You won’t find such a large collection anywhere in the Crimea!
“This exposition is dedicated to a Ukrainian Yalta, the way Lesia Ukrainka saw it when she lived here.”
Where did you find so many unique instruments?
“Yalta’s schoolteacher and ethnographer Oleksii Nyrko put together a unique collection and donated it to the museum shortly before his passing. It numbers 25 banduras; what makes this collection precious is that all the instruments are tied to the Crimea and the neighboring Kuban Region; they were either made or played there, or inherited by the musicians’ descendants. This exposition is entitled ‘I’ll Play My Bandura’ [a line from a popular Ukrainian folk song – Ed.] and it contains only 16 instruments for want of room, but we regularly ‘update’ it by replacing instruments.”
Look at those gorgeous rushnyks! Someone’s collection, too?
“These are contributions made by several embroiderers from various parts of Ukraine. Every rushnyk has its own ‘language code’, range of colors, and pattern characteristic of a certain locality. By the way, Lesia was a skilled embroiderer.”
What’s this contraption on a table?
“Lesia’s phonograph with which she recorded Ukrainian duma ballads performed in Yalta by the noted kobzar, Hnat Honcharenko. She also recorded her own voice when learning to use what was at the time a sophisticated device. Scholars and kobzars are still grateful to her for these unique records. Too bad, she erased her voice, out of modesty, although some have been restored. Not so long ago, the Mykola Tomenko Foundation (jointly with the National Radio Company of Ukraine, they specialize in audio disks with classical Ukrainian literary works recited by the authors) tried to digitally restore Lesia Ukrainka’s voice. We would be happy to play it at the museum.”
Are there other authors on display, in conjunction with Yalta?
“Yes. Look at this shelf. These works are by Stepan Rudansky. This name has a special meaning here. He spent 12 years in Yalta, was one of the city’s first physicians, and he was buried here. Every year, at the start of May, Yalta residents gather by his grave to pay homage to him as an author and public figure.”
Who are the people wearing Ukrainian costumes in this photo?
“It’s a Ukrainian performing group. They didn’t have premises of their own, but they regularly performed, mostly operas and dances. Actors from Kyiv often joined them and the cast was made up of Greeks, Russians, and Ukrainians. Maria Azovska, a well-known prima donna, and Petro Natsylevych were the stage directors.”
Does the Yalta museum work with other museums?
“We took part in the project ‘Yalta Hosts Literary Museums of Ukraine.’ It involved the exhibits ‘The Kosach House of Gentlefolk’ (in collaboration with the Lesia Ukrainka Literary Memorial Museum in Kolodiazhne), ‘The Crimea, as Seen by Kotsiubynsky’ (with the Kotsiubynsky Museum in Chernihiv), ‘Some are White, Others are Black’ (with the Olha Kobylianska Memorial Museum in Chernivtsi). We registered a larger number of visitors after the projects, as Yalta residents started taking an interest in all events at the museum.”
What are your visitors interested in above all?
“They often want to know more about Lesia Ukrainka’s interests, about her husband Klyment Kvitka (they spent their honeymoon in Yalta) and are amazed to examine Lesia’s sketches of Crimean Tatar needlework. She took a special interest in ethnography and was keenly aware of Muslim serenity and wisdom, as evidenced by her Aisha and Muhammad. Few know that Lesia spoke and wrote a dozen languages. She was very fond of German and did a number of literary translations. It was in Yalta that Lesia wrote her works dealing with antiquity, starting with Iphigenia in Tauris. Small wonder, considering that the place breathed of antiquity and various cultures. We believe that her stay in the Crimea was her rebirth as a playwright. It was here she finished working on Cassandra, while the excavation in Troy was in progress. She sensed the topicality of the theme, but invariably exhibited a personal approach. In her interpretation, Cassandra is the key figure in the well-known legend about Helen of Troy. Our exposition includes scene paintings for Rufinus and Priscilla. This drama in verse is about the hard road Christianity had to travel to assert itself in our culture. This work is quite sophisticated, rich in implications and plots. Our drama company has staged it, by the way.”
Your drama company? Does your museum have a drama company?
“Eight years ago an amateur youth drama group was organized at the museum and received the name ‘Seven Muses.’ It was granted the status of a folk drama company. The cast includes students and graduates of the Crimean University of Humanities, as well as members of the museum staff. I’m the company’s stage and artistic director. Our producer and guardian angel is Svitlana Kocherha. She is a co-founder of the museum and its first curator. She is a poet and member of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine. We stage works by Lesia Ukrainka and other authors, relying on the original text.”
Lesia Ukrainka’s works are believed to be hard to stage.
“Absolutely. Each one is a big challenge, and [executing it properly] is a matter of prestige and an exciting experience. We staged The Stone Host on the museum stairs, by the entrance. We are assisted by the folk group Charivny spiv (Magic Song) who perform medieval music in country style and psalms (this group works under the aegis of the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Yalta). We have staged Cassandra, one of Lesia Ukrainka’s last works. We took part in a festival in Lutsk with the play Shchastia (Happiness) — based on Lesia’s title poem, but with scenes from Borges, Beckett, and contemporary Ukrainian poets, the result being a story about an actor.”
There is a very expressive, poetic statue of Lesia Ukrainka in front of the museum. Who is the artist and when was it unveiled?
“Halyna Kalchenko, a prominent Ukrainian sculptor, and architect Anatolii Ivashchenko. It was unveiled in 1971, in commemoration of Lesia Ukrainka’s centennial. Kalchenko also designed Lesia’s statues in Lutsk and Kyiv. The poet seems to be sitting on the edge of a boulder by the sea, lost in thought. Monuments and museums dedicated to Lesia Ukrainka are the least we can do to express our respect and admiration for this great personality, an opportunity to partake of her life and creativity, for without Lesia Ukrainka Ukrainian culture could not aspire to global significance. We organize competitions, festivals, conferences attended by scholars, actors, and poets. We take part in city and all-Ukrainian projects, such as Seven Strings and Lesia’s Autumn. Our museum was among the first in Ukraine to take part in the European Museum Night, initiated by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, the Yalta Museum is a true Ukrainian cultural center in the Crimea. Before long, there will be another one, the Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky Museum in Simeiz. It is being renovated on the initiative of the ethnographer, Volodymyr Navrotsky, M.D.”
