On September 17, a presentation took place for an innovative cultural and educational space in the new building of the National University of Ostroh Academy. The project was carried out by the Museum of History and is centred on Mykola Zhulynskyi's invaluable, one-of-a-kind book collection.
Mykola Zhulynskyi is the Director of the T. Shevchenko Institute of Literature, Doctor of Science (Philology), Full Professor, Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the NaUOA, Academician of the Ostroh Academic Brotherhood, and Doctor Honoris Causa of the NaUOA. Mr Zhulynskyi was at the origins of the university's revival. His contribution to the development of the Ostroh Academy's library and museum collection is highly significant. Over 30 years of collaboration, he donated approximately 10,000 books to the library and more than 600 rare publications from the 19th to the early 20th centuries to the museum.
As the organisers remark, "Prostir SLOVA" is both an exhibition and a space for reading, relaxation, and social interaction.
"The project concept combines two objectives. Firstly, the university creates a place where the Ostroh community and students can gather for joint activities, such as reading together. Additionally, one of our museum's collections includes books donated by Mykola Zhulynskyi. These are artefacts and highly valuable lifetime editions of representatives of the Executed Renaissance, which were kept in a shelter throughout the entire period of active military operations on Ukrainian territory. Therefore, we decided to launch this project and create a reading avenue outside the classrooms, where students can freely come and have access, on the one hand, to books, and on the other, to information about these books and their authors,"
The main element of "Prostir SLOVA", the exhibition "20 from the 1920s," features 20 iconic books from Mykola Zhulynskyi's private collection, complemented by informational panels, visual materials about the authors, and QR codes for access to digitised editions.
The exhibition presents original lifetime editions of works by 20 Ukrainian authors, representatives of the literary avant-garde of the 1920s. Among them are books by Mykola Khvyliovyi, Maik Yohansen, Valerian Polishchuk, Mykhail Semenko, Vasyl Ellan-Blakytnyi, Halyna Orlivna, Mykola Kulish, and other authors who lived in the "Slovo" building in Kharkiv, faced repression, and had their works banned. These editions are now also available for reading online.
The exhibition "20 from the 1920s" aims to restore the names of the authors destroyed by the regime and the titles of their repressed books to the reader. The exhibition showcases a vital and distinct aspect of Ukrainian literature.
To convey the era as accurately as possible, the project organisers sought to align the exhibition's design with the visual imagery of the 1920s, using fonts and poster art forms.
During the presentation, attendees could learn about the project, listen to, and read about the history of the generation of artists that the Soviet authorities attempted to destroy, yet who remain an enduring part of Ukrainian culture.
"It is gratifying that Prostir SLOVA has aroused interest among the audience. We were glad to see, at the presentation, not only students but also residents of Ostroh and new city inhabitants who arrived here during the war. We look forward to cooperation, and I can already announce several new events in the space. Follow our announcements,"
The book collection of Mykola Zhulynskyi, which served as the basis for Prostir SLOVA, has been formed over decades and encompasses works by Ukrainian and foreign authors, rare editions, and books with autographs and dedicatory inscriptions. Today, this collection is under the care of the Museum of History of NaUOA, enabling not only its preservation but also its presentation as a significant part of Ukraine's cultural heritage. The exhibited books reveal new facets of the twentieth-century literary process to visitors.
The 'Prostir SLOVA' Project is being realised with support from the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the 'MHP-Hromadi' Charity Foundation as part of the 'Culture in the Focus of Communities' Programme.
