Jurij Lawrynenko Papers, 1880s-1980s

Summary Information

Abstract

The materials in this collection document personal and professional life of Jurij Lawrynenko (1905-1987), prominent literature figure Ukrainian emigration, as well as the formation and development of the literary, cultural, and social life of the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany and the United States. They are extremely valuable resources for research on Ukrainian literature, journalism, publishing, and political movements, and on the history of Ukrainian emigration in the 20th century.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in ten series.

• Series IX: Audio Materials, 1952-1987, undated
• Subseries IX.1: Lawrynenko's broadcasts for the Radio "Svoboda", 1961-1981, undated
• Subseries IX.2: Lawrynenko's memoirs, 1985-1987
• Subseries IX.3: General records on various subjects, including personal and family matters, 1957-1967, undated
• Subseries IX.4: Not Lawrynenko's records, 1967-1972, undated

Description

Summary

The bulk of the collection consists of Jurij Lawrynenko's professional and personal correspondence, manuscripts, research notes, and printed materials. There are also photographs, documents, diaries, notebooks, memoirs, and audio materials. Collection contains extensive files, including documents and editorial materials, from the major Ukrainian publications in Germany and the United States (Ukrains'ka Literaturna Hazeta, Literaturno-Naukovyi Zbirnyk, et al.), and from Ukrainian writers' organization "Slovo." The collection includes some unpublished and unknown original manuscripts by Lawrynenko and other prominent Ukrainian authors. Original manuscripts could be found in the following series: Series I: Correspondence; Series V: Writings; Series VII: Subject Files.

A large part of the collection consists of printed materials, including books and brochures, rare serial publications and periodicals from Ukraine and from the Ukrainian diaspora in Germany, the United States, and Canada. There are many clippings with Lawrynenko's margin notes and comments that make them a valuable resource for the study of Lawrynenko's professional activities. Printed materials are not separated from the rest of the collection, remaining in the various series where they logically belong.

For preservation purposes, fragile and deteriorating newspapers and clippings were photocopied on acid-free paper; the photocopies remain in the collection while the originals were sent to the Instytut Literatury in Kyiv, Ukraine. Issues of the newspaper Vpered were microfilmed (microfilm #2007-1010), and the originals transferred to the Shevchenko Scientific Society in New York.

• Series IX: Audio Materials, 1952-1987, undated

  Reel-to-reel tapes and audiocassettes with Jurij Lawrynenko's radio broadcasts, memoirs and family records. Also included some not Lawrynenko's recordings.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

Boxes 73-85 of this collection are located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Jurij Lawrynenko Papers, Box and Folder; Bakhmeteff Archive, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Related Materials

Jurij Lawrynenko materials (mostly correspondence) can also be found in the following Bakhmeteff Archive collections: New York Group Papers; George Y. Shevelov Papers; Research Program on the U.S.S.R.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Maria and Laryssa Lawrynenko. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1997, 2007.

Gift of Maria and Laryssa Lawrynenko, 1997, 2007.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Katia Shraga 7/2007.

Finding aid written by Katia Shraga 7/2007.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Jurij Adrijanovych Lawrynenko (Dyvnych) born on May 3, 1905, Khyzhyntsi Zvenyhorod district, Kyiv county, was an author, editor, literary theorist and critic, historian, political and social journalist, and prominent figure in the Ukrainian community in the United States.

Jurij Lawrynenko graduated from Kharkiv University, where he studied in the Department of Literature and Linguistics from 1926 to 1930. In 1932, he completed his post-graduate education in the Kharkiv Institute on the History of Literature, part of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. From 1926 to 1930, he also worked as a manager of the art and proofreading department at the "Visti VUTsVK" newspaper.

Jurij Lawrynenko was arrested twice by the Soviet regime for political offenses and became a prisoner in Stalin's Gulag system. He was sentenced to five years in a concentration camp followed by three years of exile. He served his term in Norillag (Taymyr) and in the North Caucasus until 1942. In 1943 he ended up in Austria as a forced-laborer. He was liberated by the French army in 1945 and lived in Mittenwald DP (displaced person) camp.

In April 1950, Lawrynenko settled in the United States. He became a key figure in the cultural, literary, political, and social life of the Ukrainian community. He was a fellow of UVAN (the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the United States of America). He was a member of DOBRUS (the Democratic Union of Ukrainians Formerly Persecuted by the Soviet Government) and of MUR (the Ukrainian Art Movement). He was a co-founder and active member of Slovo, organization of Ukrainian writers in exile. He was editor of the Ukrains'ki Visti and, from 1959 to [1966?], of the Ukrainian broadcasts of Radio Liberty.

Jurij Lawrynenko died in New York on December 14, 1987.

The bibliography of the works of Jurij Lawrynenko contains over three hundred titles, including articles, essays, memoirs, and monographs on history, politics, literature, and philosophy. Ukrainian scholar Tetiana Shestopalova describes Lawrynenko as "a figure outstanding, brilliant, and productive in the creative life of two continents, whose life doesn't fit any simple pattern of the artist adapting himself to alien soil."