A monument to Oles Honchar (1918-1995), a famous Ukrainian writer and public figure, was unveiled last Saturday in a public garden on the crossing of Vassili Chapayev and Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky streets. Before the ceremony, The Day phoned the writer’s widow Valentyna, congratulated her, and asked what she though about the monument.
“I am grateful to everyone who helped implement the idea of commemorating Oles Honchar in this way,” she replied. Despite economic hardships, the Mayor’s Office found the money and the monument will be unveiled just as we will celebrate The Day of Kyiv. We had a long road to the monument, knocking on countless official doors, visiting offices at the highest level. I met several times with the sculptor, Mr. Chepelyk, giving him photos, study sketches, and a clay model. He is an excellent artist, and I think that he succeeded in conveying not only portrait accuracy, but also my husband’s inner personality as a celebrated author and an extraordinary individual. I am very excited, for I will see the bronze statue only at the unveiling ceremony, together with everyone else the place on the crossing of Chapayev and Kotsiubynsky streets, a place Honchar often went for a walk. To me, it is a monument not only to my husband, but also in his person to modern Ukrainian literature, to which he dedicated his entire life. The Prosvita Publishers recently put out his collection of verse titled Katarsys, never published during his lifetime. Ivan Drach helped with the publication of his Military Diaries, 1943-45. Oles Honchar left behind vast archives containing many interesting documents., which I dream to have published.”
