Kovalenko, Ivan Efimovich

Childhood and Youth

Ivan Kovalenko was born on January 13, 1919 in the village. Letsky in the Pereyaslav region in a peasant family. He graduated from Pereyaslav school number 1. In winter, Ivan studied, and in the summer he returned to his native village to work in the commune. I almost died during the famine in Ukraine in 1932-33 , when half of the village died out. He studied well, but for his recalcitrant disposition he was expelled from school three times. He was fond of astronomy (the school had an observatory), organized a school theater, read a lot, began to write poetry. He lived at school for the last two years of his studies, as he did not receive support from his parents. He was neither a pioneer nor a Komsomol member.

Student Years and Marriage

After school he was treated for tuberculosis, worked as a builder in Kiev, graduated from the last grade of evening school to improve his certificate. In 1938 he entered the Romano-Germanic faculty of Kiev State University. T. G. Shevchenko . He stood out among classmates by the brightness and variety of talents - wrote poetry, drew well, played many stringed instruments. In 1939, he married a classmate Irina Pavlovna Pustosmekhova, originally from a Ukrainian intelligentsia family. Irina’s mother worked and was friends with Mikhail Kotsyubynsky for many years, her relative is a co-author of the words of the Ukrainian national anthem “Ukraine Has Not Died”. Irina's father, Pavel Filippovich Pustosmekhov, was repressed and shot in 1937. His wife's family had a huge impact on the formation of the future poet.

Teaching

The years of World War II Ivan Kovalenko and his wife spent in Chernigov . They tried to evacuate, but fell into the Piryatinsky environment. They returned to Chernihiv, where they nearly died of starvation. They were saved by random earnings: Ivan painted icons, changed them in the villages for food. In 1943, after the liberation of Chernigov, Kovalenko was drafted into the army, but the medical board found him unfit due to heart disease and extreme exhaustion. In the same year, Ivan Kovalenko was appointed director of the only surviving Chernigov school No. 4. Together with his wife, he worked as a teacher, taught foreign languages ​​and astronomy.

In 1947, the couple Kovalenko and their two-year-old son Oles moved to Boyarka near Kiev . In Boyarka, they worked at school number 1, where Ivan Kovalenko taught astronomy, English, French and German. In 1957, daughter Maria was born. The spouses of Kovalenko conducted a great educational work: they collected a school library, organized an amateur theater, staged plays, organized excursions and trips, and conducted literary evenings. Pupils and the public respected them, the party bosses oppressed, mainly because of their implacability to shortcomings in the work of the school. In 1955, for disrespect for the open party meeting, Ivan Kovalenko was fired from his job and was not allowed to pedagogy for five years. Only in 1960 he was allowed to become a teacher in the evening school of working youth, where he worked until 1972.

Under the supervision of the KGB

In the 60s, the poet Ivan Kovalenko increasingly turned to civilian topics. In 1961, at a literary evening dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Taras Shevchenko , he reads his openly critical poem, “The poet only has a word” (“The poet has only a word”). From this moment, the KGB establishes surveillance over him. In 1966, Ivan Kovalenko organizes a literary evening in Boyark with the participation of the sixties Evgeny Sverstyuk , Vasil Stus , Nadezhda Svetlichnaya . The house of Ivan Efimovich kept Russian and Ukrainian samizdat, many of the samples of which he reprinted and widely distributed. At the same time, he writes many poems of patriotic and national liberation themes. Poems and articles by Ivan Kovalenko were illegally transferred to the West and published in the newspaper Nove Zhittya (New Life) ( Presov , Slovakia ). A collection of poems Kovalenko released in Canada .

Arrest and Prison

On the day of the poet’s 53rd birthday, January 13, 1972, Ivan Kovalenko was arrested as part of a repression campaign against the Ukrainian creative intelligentsia. The reason was the denunciation of some colleagues that he publicly called the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 a "fascist action." He was charged with the production and distribution of samizdat, in particular, his own poems, as was said in the verdict, "anti-Soviet, nationalist and slanderous content." By a closed court decision, Ivan Kovalenko was sentenced to 5 years in maximum security camps. He pleaded not guilty; he refused to write a repentant letter to the press.

Ivan Kovalenko was serving his sentence in a strict-security camp BC-389/35 Art. All Saints, pos. Central Perm Region . Among his co-prisoners were many well-known sixties dissidents: Ivan Svetlichny , Igor Kalinets , Taras Melnichuk , Evgeny Pronyuk , Semyon Gluzman , Vladimir Bukovsky , Valery Marchenko , etc. And he remained a teacher in the camp: he taught foreign languages, in particular I. Svetlichny (French) and V. Bukovsky (English). Almost all of the poems written by Ivan Kovalenko in the camp were seized by the administration, only a small part of them was transferred to freedom in letters to his wife, and he memorized something. By the end of the term, Kovalenko was transferred to Kiev and released in 1977 by an invalid of the P group.

After Release

Ivan Kovalenko returned home on January 13, 1977, also on his birthday. Two years he sought a pension (57 rubles.). He was rehabilitated in 1991. After Ukraine gained independence, it began to be printed in the press, invited to radio and television. In 1995, the first author’s collection of poems by Ivan Kovalenko “The Unwanted Meadow” (The Unworn Meadow) was released. In 1996, the Security Service of Ukraine returned materials accompanying his case, among which were some poems. Due to this, in 1999, on the occasion of the poet’s 80th birthday, the Osvita Publishing House published a more complete collection of Dzherelo (Source). In 2006, the Logos Publishing House published an almost complete collection of Ivan Kovalenko’s works, Perlini (Pearls). In 2009 - a collection of selected poems "Teacher". D 2012 - a compilation for schools “Rushing to Heaven” (“Rush to Heaven”).

Ivan Kovalenko died on July 18, 2001. He was buried in Boyark . Throughout his life, he basically did not belong to any party or group.

The creative fate of Ivan Kovalenko is quite tragic, since many of the early works were lost during the Second World War . Most of the work of mature years is lost due to arrest and investigation. During the arrest, every single poem of Kovalenko was seized. The poet’s work in drafts written in pencil (and there were most of them) was destroyed during the investigation. Poems written over 10 months in a pre-trial detention center, almost all are lost in stages. Only a few survived thanks to his lawyer. Almost everything that he wrote in the camp was also selected and destroyed. Nevertheless, the poet’s work includes more than 400 poetic, journalistic works and translations. The work of Ivan Kovalenko was highly appreciated by Ivan Svetlichny , Nikolai Zhulinsky , Evgeny Sverstyuk , Ivan Drach , etc. The poetic heritage of Ivan Kovalenko is distinguished by its breadth of themes, imagery, richness of paths, and original author's neologisms. Of particular note are the poet’s lyric poems - refined, melodic, full of deep philosophical content. The poet’s civil poetry - passionate, revealing, full of love for Ukraine and pain for her tortured sons - went to samizdat during the times of totalitarianism and became the basis for accusations of Ivan Kovalenko of anti-Soviet activity and nationalism. Published in Soviet times in the newspaper “New Life” ( Presov , Slovakia ). During the independence of Ukraine - in the Ukrainian periodicals and Canada .

Songs to the verses of Ivan Kovalenko have in their work nar. art. Ukraine Nadezhda Shestak, merit. art. Ukraine Inna Andriyash), Nar. art. Ukraine Alexander Vasilenko, Nar. art. Ukraine Anatoly Gnatyuk, merit. art. Ukraine Victor Koshel, Nar. art. Ukraine Victor Shportko, merit. art. Of Ukraine Pavel and Petr Prymaki, Karina Play, Elena Khizhnaya, Larisa Rusnak, soloist of the Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergey Yurchenko, laureate of all-Ukrainian and international competitions Ruslana Pilot, Honored Folk Choir of Ukraine named after G. Ropes.

The music for the songs was written by Oleg Salivanov , Vladimir Zubok, Tatyana Volodai, Yuri Babenko, Vladimir Vishnyak, Radislav Kokodzey, Alexander Prisichenko and other musicians.

List of songs by the words of Ivan Kovalenko
1. "I live in spav." The music of Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko, "I’m in life having slept, if I’ve got an ear."
2. "Osinnya pisnya". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
3. "You are dumb." The music of Victoria Salivanova to the verses of Ivan Kovalenko, “A qui ti, shi ti zibral” and “Chernigiv dovg click you.”
4. “I’m here to grow.” Music by Victoria Salivanova to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko, "Willow has stolen over water ...".
5. "Again the signal." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the verses by Ivan Kovalenko "Again, the Snig" and "Snowflakes-pearls to pour at once ..."
6. "I am timid, I live." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
7. "Two hats." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko "Dontsі".
8. "Literary day." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
9. "I love you." The music of Victoria Salivanova to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko "Osvidchennya through 35 rokіv".
10. "Povіr". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko, "Ty, let me see, there is a meadow."
11. "Koliskova." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
12. "Evening". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
13. “Look at us!” Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
14. "Gutsulka Marіchka". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko “In the mountains, in the mountains ...”
15. "Divosvіt". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko “The noise is foxy ...”
16. "Tell and speak." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
17. "Chervona viburnum." Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
18. "Come on, brothers, wait!". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the verses of Ivan Kovalenko with the triptych "Vіra, nadiya, love."
19. "My Fatherland". Music by Vladimir Zubko to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
20. "The Swan Pisnya." Music by Tatyana Volodai to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
21. "River, Vulitsa, Mistok." Music by Tatyana Volodai to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
22. "Come by the garden." Music by Yuri Babenko to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
23. "Osin". Music by Oleg Salivanov to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko “Who wanders around the garden? ..”
24. "Georgina." The music of Radislav Kokojey to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko “At the hour of achievement, the sum of dotsvіtє in the garden of dahlia ...”
25. "Sіra melodiya". Music by Vladimir Vishnyak to the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.
26. "Spalach." The music of Vladimir Vishnyak to the poem by Ivan Kovalenko “Along the front and rear of the ocean isn’t…”.
27. Hopak. Music by Alexander Prisichenko on the poem of the same name by Ivan Kovalenko.

Most of the songs are included in two musical albums: “I am timid ...” (“I am so happy ...” and “And the song is still alive” (“And the song is still living”).

You can listen to the songs on the site dedicated to the work of Ivan Kovalenko .

A street in the city of Boyark near Kiev is named after Ivan Kovalenko. A memorial plaque is installed on the house that the poet built with his own hands, and in which he lived with his family for almost half a century (minus five years in prison). Since 2012, the Boyar has hosted the annual Ivan Kovalenko Youth Arts Festival. Within the framework of the Festival, a poetry contest, contests of readers, guitarists and vocalists are held.

• "Prevailing Meadow" ( 1995 )
• Dzherelo ( 1999 )
• Perlini ( 2006 )
• The Teacher ( 2009 )
• “Breaking to Heaven” ( 2012 )

• Site of Ivan Kovalenko
• Virtual Museum "Dissident Movement in Ukraine"
• Human Rights in Ukraine
• “Sixties Ivan Kovalenko. Biogr. essay ” ( Sergey Belokon , Maria Kirilenko (Kovalenko).