National Writers' Union of Ukraine

House of Liberman on Bankova Street - office of the NWUU

The National Writers' Union of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна спілка письменників України) (НСПУ) is a voluntary social-creative association of professional writers, poets, prose writers, playwrights, critics, and translators.[1]

History

The National Writers' Union of Ukraine was founded in 1934 as the Ukrainian SSR Union of Writers, a part of the Union of Soviet Writers, which was established in the same year.

In post-communist time, the Writers' Union of Ukraine declared its independence from any Soviet structures (1991).

In 1997 the Union split, losing some of its members who created a new organization, the Association of Ukrainian Writers.

In 2020, the Union blacklisted publications from countries that politically opposed the "territorial integrity of Ukraine." The list included Russia, Belarus, China, and Armenia.[2]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the NSPU called for the Mikhail Bulgakov Museum to be closed.[3][4] Mikhail Bulgakov, who the museum honors, was accused of anti-Ukrainian and imperialist attitudes.[5]

Organisation

Today the National Writers' Union of Ukraine has over 1,800 members, including 84 writers living abroad. The majority of NSPU members write in the Ukrainian language, while others write in Russian, Moldavian, Yiddish, Hungarian, Greek, etc. Regional organizations of the Union are situated in every oblast centre of Ukraine and large cities.

The supreme body of the National Writers' Union of Ukraine is the Congress of Ukrainian Writers, which is gathered in five years. In the between time, the Union is managed by the Council and Presidium of the National Writers' Union of Ukraine. Executive functions are delegated to the Secretariat.

The National Writers' Union of Ukraine has special literary awards to honour the best achievements in corresponding fields, among which are Lesia Ukrainka Prize, the Ivan Franko Prize, the Pavlo Tychyna Prize, the Maksym Rylsky Prize, "Blahovist" (Church Bells), and others.

The headquarters of the Union is located at 2 Bankova Street, the former residence of Trepov and later Liebermann.

Notable members

References

  1. ^ "Побратимы [Текст] // Узиков Ю. Уфимских улиц имена. — Уфа: Уфимский полиграфкомбинат, 2007. — С. 222—223".
  2. ^ "Writers' Union suspends publication of works by authors from Russia, Belarus, Armenia". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. ^ Melkozerova, Veronika (October 10, 2022). "The War That Russia Already Lost". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Harding, Luke (31 December 2022). "'Propaganda literature': calls to close Mikhail Bulgakov museum in Kyiv". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Appetite for 'De-Russification' Builds in Ukraine". The Moscow Times. AFP. October 14, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2023.