Taras Shevchenko's Birthday

March 9th

In spite of questionable ratings, Taras Shevchenko remains the spiritual father and mentor for all Ukrainians. 

Taras Hryhorovich Shevchenko (b. Feb. 25 [March 9, New Style], 1814, Morintsy, Ukraine, –d. Feb. 26 [March 10], 1861, St. Petersburg, Russia), is the foremost Ukrainian poet, prose writer, painter and playwright of the 19th century. He was a major figure of the Ukrainian national revival.

Taras Shevchenko was a man of universal talent. All his life and creative work were dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The poet dreamed about the times when his country would be a free sovereign state, where the Ukrainian language, clture and history would be highly valued, and the people would be happy and free.

The name of Taras Shevchenko is well-known in the world - monuments to him were erected in numerous countries, his literary works were translated into almost all languages of the world.