Рукописна та книжкова спадщина України (Jan 2023)
Borys Hrinchenko Publishing Society: history of activity in columns of camp newspaper
Abstract
The aim of the work. The research relates to the history of the Borys Hrinchenko Publishing Society, which operated in the prisoners of war camp in the German city of Wetzlar at the end of the First World War. The aim is to find information about the activities of the Borys Hrinchenko Publishing Society, which is published in the "Hromadska Dumka" newspaper (1916-1918). The tasks are to determine the main directions of the society, determine its objectives and results, as well as known facts about its members. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, as well as on general historical methods - chronological, retrospective, problem-thematic and statistical-analytical. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the review of the publications of the camp newspaper "Public Opinion" and the discovery of facts related to the history and activities of the Borys Hrinchenko Publishing Society. The main and indirect directions of the Society's activity and its significance in the life of the Ukrainian community of Wetzlar are clarified. The main points connecting the Society with the name of Borys Hrinchenko and the attitude of its members to this figure are also identified. Conclusions. The Borys Hrinchenko Publishing Society, mentioned in the pages of the Wetzlar camp maga zine "Hromadska Dumka" in 1917-1918, had the main task of creating and distribut ing the newspaper "Hromadska Dumka". In addition, it published various materials related to the Ukrainian affairs: leaflets, announcements, statutes of organizations and more. The number of members of the Society was regulated by publishing needs and amounted to about ten people. The newspaper does not disclose the names of the Society's leaders, indicating only their cryptonyms. The indirect activities of the Society, as evidenced by the newspaper's materials, were to inform prisoners about news from the fronts and the Russian Empire, bibliographic information about new current publications for prisoners, collection and distribution of donations to vari ous societies and affairs, distribution of Ukrainian-German phrasebook. The Society also joined the development of innovative library activity - the spread of "traveling libraries" for work teams.
