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.
