Ivan Franko: Ukrainian poet and writer

August 15] 1856 – May 28 [A.S. May 15] 1916) wis a Ukrainian poet, writer, social an leeterar critic, jurnalist, interpreter, economist, poleetical activist, doctor o filosofie, ethnographer, the author o the first detective novels an modren poetry in the Ukrainian leid.

Ivan Yakovych Franko Іван Якович Франко
Born	Іван Якович Франко August 27 [A.S. August 15] 1856 Nahuievychi, Austrian Empire (nouadays Ukraine)
Dee'd	May 28 [A.S. May 15] 1916 Lemberg, Austrick-Hungary (nouadays Ukraine)
Pen name	Myron, Kremin, Zhyvyi
Thrift	poet, writer, poleetical activist
Ethnicity	Ukrainian
Period	1874–1916
Genre	epic poetry, short story, novels, drama
Leeterar muivement	Realism, Decadent muivement
Spoose	Olha Fedorivna Khoruzhynska
Bairns	Andriy Petro Franko Taras Franko Hanna Klyuchko (Franko)

He wis a poleetical radical, an a foonder o the socialist an naitionalist muivement in wastren Ukraine. In addeetion tae his awn leeterar wirk, he translatit the wirks of such renouned figurs as William Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Dante Alighieri, Victor Hugo, Adam Mickiewicz, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe an Friedrich Schiller intae the Ukrainian leid an aw. Alang wi Taras Shevchenko, he haes haed a tremendous impact on modren leeterar an poleetical thocht in Ukraine.

In 1876, Lesyshyna Cheliad an Dva Pryiateli (Twa Friends) wur published in the literary almanac Dnistrianka. Later that year he wrote his first collection o poetry, Ballads an Tales. His first o the stories in the Boryslav series wur published in 1877.

Franko depictit the hairsk experience o Ukrainian wirkers an peasants in his novels Boryslav Laughs (1881–1882) an Boa Constrictor (1878). His wirks deal wi Ukrainian naitionalism an history (Zakhar Berkut, 1883), social issues (Basis o Society, 1895 an Withered Leaves, 1896), an filosofie (Semper Tiro, 1906).

He haes drawn parallels tae the Israelite search for a hameland an the Ukrainian desire for unthirldom in In Daith of Cain (1889) an Moses (1905). Stolen Happiness (1893) is considered as his best dramatic maisterpiece. In total, Franko haes written mair nor 1,000 wirks.

He wis widely promotit in Ukraine durin the Soviet period pairticularly for his poem Kamenyari (stane breakers) which conteens revolutionar poleetical ideas, hence earnin him the name Kamenyar.

• Article on Ivan Franko from the Encyclopedia of Ukraine