Kharkiv Humanitarian Inteligence of 1920s in Ego-Documents of the writer Oleksa Varavva (Kobets)

Abstract

Despite long lasting research on the new independent state period, the study on Soviet Ukrainian intellectuals’ activities, the Ukrainian histography has not developed unified methodological approaches. The same thing happened to Ukrainian intellectuals and historical proces in 1920s. The article analyses earlier unpublished sources of a Ukrainian writer, editor Oleksa Petrovych Varavva (Kobets). The Ukrainian intellectual environment of the Soviet Kharkiv is being analysed. The important figures and an atmosphere of Ukrainian renaissance is being described. The main source of the research became “The Materials to Correspondence Autobiography” of a writer and editor, published by his son Oleksandr Voronin. This exceptional source for Ukrainian researchers has not been published yet. We also use published earlier “Autobiography” of the writer dated 1929 and sent to literature specialist Mykola Plevako. Oleksa Varavva, being in the middle of literature and art life of Soviet Ukraine — in Kharkiv (lived in “Slovo” building), left us striking notes about the character of activities of humanitarian intellectuals as well as the atmosphere in which they were working. This includes the information about Mykola Khvyliovyi, Yurko Tiutiunnuk, Oleksandr Korniichuk and others. Well-known figures of Ukrainian culture of “red renaissance” are being easily traceable in his mail correspondence from immigration in the USA in circumstances unburdened by censorship and thus of more value for scientific research.