Slovenska Literatura (Mar 2019)
On the Portrait of Mikuláš Mušinka
Abstract
Mikuláš Mušinka (Mykola Mušinka, 1936) is a prominent figure in research on Slovak-Ukrainian cultural relations in the 20th century. As an ethnologist by profession he was not only interested in folklore studies but also in linguistics, history of literature and arts, bibliography. The paper presents the troubled life of Mikuláš Mušinka, his enthusiasm for science and research, which he carried out despite the bans and political restrictions. The paper records his stay in Kiev and his contacts with the representatives of the civic literary movement of so-called sexagenarians (I. Svitlyčnýj, I. Hončar, I. Dzjuba, L. Taňuk, V. Čornovol, B. Antonenko-Davydovyč, H. Kočur). It was due to the contacts with them why he was accused by the KGB of undermining the authority of the former Soviet Union. An important point is Mušinka´s activities at the Research facility of Ukrainian studies at P. J. Šafárik University in Prešov as well as his efforts to coordinate international Ukrainian studies research featuring fellow researchers from Western Europe, the USA, Canada and Ukraine. M. Mušinka has made a significant contribution to research on and promotion of the cultural heritage of the Ukrainians living in the Prešov region and Zakarpattia.
