Рукописна та книжкова спадщина України (Jan 2022)
From archives of Ukrainian interwar emigration: epistolary dialogue of Mykhailo Obidnyi with Arkadii Zhyvotko
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to reveal through the prism of Mykhailo Obidnyi’s correspondence with Arkadii Zhyvotko the sphere of their professional and privaterelations, as well as the contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture in the conditions of emigration. The novelty of the research. M. Obidnyi’s letters to A. Zhyvotko, which are an important source for the history of Ukrainian interwar emigration in Poland and Czechoslovakia, were introduced into scientific circulation and analyzed for the first time. The sphere of their personal relations and common role in preserving the Ukrainian archival heritage in the conditions of emigration is reconstructed. The methodology is based on a combination of methods of historical research - chronological, comparative, archival and biographic study, and principles of historicism and systematization. The hierarchy of spiritual values of M. Obidnyiand A. Zhyvotko was clarified with the help of the historical-anthropological method. Conclusions. Unpublished correspondence between M. Obidnyi and A. Zhyvotko covers a wide range of issues related to their joint activities in the field of preservation of Ukrainian national monuments, the specifics of archival-museumand literary-educational work in exile. Both figures were united by long-term friendly relations due to common interests, professional, social and political activities. The exchange of information, the press, literary works and other materials contributed to their professional and creative activity. The joint efforts of M. Obidnyi and A. Zhyvotko established the work of the Ukrainian Historical Cabinet in Prague - the main institution, which in the 30s of the 20th century engaged in the acquisition of Ukrainian archival heritage in exile. Through A. Zhyvotko, M. Obidnyi maintained close contacts with the Ukrainian Historical Cabinet and its head J. Slavik after his departure from Prague. Letters to A. Zhyvotko are the main source that illustrates M. Obidnyi’s activity in the last years of his life: collecting ethnographic material on house building and folk clothing, as well as organizing the Ethnographic Society andthe Ethnographic Museum of Subcarpathian Russia in Mukachevo.
