Hi!
You know, I hesitated. There was an enormous temptation to write about this House and only about it. House?
Yes, the one in Kharkiv where cultural figures of Ukraine lived during many decades of the 20th century. It was populated by around 200 notable writers, playwrights, literature critics, translators, actors, artists, and sculptors. Many of them were killed by the Soviets. We call them Executed Renaissance.
But I am afraid we might lose the initial purpose of these letters: to remind the world about the war plus show what we are fighting for.
So, I will add some key news and write about this House 'Slovo' (meaning ‘Word’).
The photos? We need them, too, as I prefer you and I have breaks during the reading. I have sorted some from yesterday's trip to Cherkasy, a city in Central Ukraine.
When we talk about this week in Ukraine, two things are worth mentioning: a massive attack on our energy infrastructure and a new offensive. Let’s start with an attack.
On the night of May 7-8, russians launched 55 missiles of various types and 21 drones. Power generation and transmission facilities in six Ukrainian oblasts were attacked. Three thermal power plants owned by DTEK (Ukraine's largest private energy company) had severe damage to their equipment.
Two Ukrainian hydroelectric power plants have been decommissioned due to the damage caused by the attack.
As a result, Ukrenergo, Ukraine's national energy company, was forced to restrict energy supplies to industry and businesses between 6 and 11 pm.
As for the new offensive, the Defense Ministry reported on May 10 that russian forces attempted a breakthrough of Ukraine's line of defence in Kharkiv Oblast. The attack was repelled, but battles of varying intensity continue.
Institute for the Study of War published an analysis of russian goals in Kharkiv Oblast. They are:
to draw Ukrainian forces away from other areas;
to advance within range of artillery fire on Kharkiv;
to create a ‘buffer zone’ to protect Belgorod (russian city);
to limit Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in the region.
This is the news I want to share. I encourage you to read more about the war in Ukraine as my letters are far from full reports of what is happening here.
Now I will tell you about the residential house ‘Slovo’. In this part of the letter, I will use the photos I found online as I want you to see this building and perhaps feel its profound story. As for more photos of the city of Cherkasy, I will put them into the book I am currently writing, ‘Ukraine Beautiful’; I will publish some excerpts occasionally.
The building has the form of a C letter. In Ukrainian, ‘Слово’ (meaning ‘Word’, spelt as Slovo) starts with the same letter.
From 1919 until 1934, Kharkiv was the capital of Soviet Ukraine. The ukrainiazation policy conducted by Soviets in the 1920s led to a cultural burst and the popularity of the Ukrainian language. In Kharkiv, new publications emerged, numerous literature organizations were created, and discussions and gatherings were held. However, poor living conditions provoked the intelligentsia to ask the government for proper housing.
The idea to build cooperative houses was born in the middle of the 1920s in the literature organization of writers ‘Plug’ (meaning ‘Plow’). Writers created a cooperative* and named it ‘Slovo’. They turned to the government for financial help; the project was approved. Construction began in September 1927, not far from the city centre (Kharkiv).
*A cooperative is a legal entity formed by individuals and/or legal entities that have voluntarily united on the basis of membership to conduct joint economic and other activities and meet their economic, social, and other needs on a self-governing basis.
Translation: House of Writers ‘Slovo’ (Word)
At the end of 1929, new inhabitants hurried to move into their apartments to celebrate the New Year of 1930 in their new homes. Although central heating was installed later, living conditions were luxurious by that time: three- or four-room apartments, high ceilings, big windows, and a place for tanning on the roof.
Many famous Ukrainian writers, poets and artists lived there. I will give you a few names and links so you can read about them in English:
Mykola Khvylovy, Ostap Vyshnya, Mykhailo Semenko, Pavlo Tychyna, Ivan Padalka, Vasyl Sedliar…
But at the end of the 1920-s, the ukrainization policy had been cut down, and since the 1930s, there began massive arrests of the intelligentsia. By 1940, Stalin's terror touched 40 out of 66 apartments of the House ‘Slovo’, and most of the arrested were executed. It is essential to mention that the KGB bugged all the apartments in the House, and after the repressions started, the House 'Slovo' was unofficially called ‘a pre-trial detention centre’.
Photo by ukrainer.net
During World War II, German senior military officers were quartered in ‘Slovo’. After the war, the Ukrainian intelligentsia returned from evacuation and restored Ukraine's cultural life in Kharkiv. After Kyiv was freed, though, most of them moved there.
In the 1950s and for several decades afterwards, the House 'Slovo' remained the centre of Kharkiv's cultural life. Now, it is an ordinary residential building. Please write down the address: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Kultury Street, 9.
On March 7, 2022, a russian attack damaged (but luckily did not ruin) the House.
So now you know something more about Ukraine. I carefully gather and research these pieces of Ukraine to give you a broader understanding of my wounded country.
If you like (or find useful) my letters, you can buy me a cup of warcoffee. One cup per month can make a difference. Thank you 😘
Sincerely,
Yaroslava