Slovo: collection of Ukrainian writers. Coll. 12.[Edmonton], 1990

Slovo: almanac 12 / literature, art, criticism, memoirs, documents = The Word: almanac 12 / [editorial board of the Slovo almanacs]; cover by Yakiv Hnizdovsky.

[Edmonton]: Slovo Association of Ukrainian Writers, 1990. — 230 p.: portrait. — Printed by Ukraprint, Inc., Woodstock (Maryland, USA). — ISBN 0-920365-36-1.

Published in a hardback binding of red cloth: on the front cover — Yakiv Hnizdovsky's typographic composition in a frame, printed in black, with a leaf in the letter "O"; on the spine, the title "Slovo" and the number "12" in frames; the back cover is undecorated. Opposite the verso of the title page — a photographic portrait of Ulas Samchuk, on the verso the published price of $15.00 is printed. Several small dark spots on the back cover, the head of the spine is slightly worn. The block is firm, the paper is light and clean, without inscriptions, stamps, or underlines. Condition: very good.

The edition has historical and cultural value and is of collector's interest.

INFORMATION

The almanac opens with Yevhen Sverstiuk's poem "SVU" (1986) — about the process of the "Union for the Liberation of Ukraine" in 1930 — and Mykola Rudenko's text "In the Belly of the Dragon": the 1990 emigrant almanac publishes former Soviet political prisoners alongside its regular authors. At the world congress of "Slovo" that same year, writers from Ukraine were already present, including Mykola Vinhranovsky. Among other materials — Dokiia Humenna's memoirs "From Kyiv to Gelendzhik", Hryhorii Kostiuk's (1902–2002) "The Unquenchable Fire" — reflections of the editor of the five-volume edition of Mykola Khvylovy, Osyp Zinkevych's article "Censorship in Ukraine during Perestroika", Yar Slavutych's "Apocalyptic. 1933", poetry and prose by Natali Livitska-Kholodna, Ihor Kachurovsky, Oleks Vretenchenko, Marta Tarnavska.

About a quarter of the volume is occupied by Ostap Tarnavsky's (1917–1992) essay, head of "Slovo" since 1975, about the history of the Association from its founding in New York in 1954 and a directory of its members by country with short biobibliographical information. The composition of the editorial board of the almanacs for 1962–1990 is presented separately: Yurii Boiko-Blohin, Svyatoslav Hordynsky, Ulas Samchuk, Yurii Shevelov, Mykola Shlemkevych and others. The English-language "Encyclopedia of Ukraine" in the article about "Slovo" refers to Tarnavsky's essay from this number as a source.

The issue was published at the expense of the fund, which was filled for the printing of the almanac by Ulas Samchuk (1905–1987), one of the founders of "Slovo"; the fund was transferred by the writer's widow, Tanya Fedorivna, so the book opens with his portrait, and inside is included Anna Vlasenko-Boytsun's article "Ulas Samchuk as a Publicist". The cover was created by Yakiv Hnizdovsky (1915–1985), the author of the "Slovo" publishing mark. The editorial office deliberately preserved the spelling of each author according to the original of their work.