A 25-VOLUME EDITION OF IVAN FRANKO'S WORKS: LVIV CONTRIBUTION

Abstract

The article analyzes the main directions, course, and consequences of the research and publishing project of 1940-1941 in preparing for printing a 25-volume collection of works of Ivan Franko's literary-artistic heritage in the context of new political and socio-economic realities in Western Ukraine after the accession to the USSR as a part of the Ukrainian SSR at the beginning of World War II. Emphasizing the participation in these events of employees of the Lviv department of the T. Shevchenko Institute of Ukrainian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, the author noted that the main work was carried out by the Lviv philologists, led by Academician Mykhailo Vozniak. They did the search, selection, and scientific verification of the texts, ensuring their linguistic and stylistic design, compiling the edition's reference apparatus, and others. The place and role of some compilers and editors in preparing the collection for publication, particularly M. Vozniak and Professor V. Simovych, are highlighted. The reasons which caused difficulties and insurmountable obstacles in meeting the deadline in a responsible task are revealed. It turned out that the task became much more difficult for the management of the Institute and the employees, and, first of all, for the main compilers and editors from Lviv than it seemed at first. They did not completely achieve what was planned. Before the beginning of the German-Soviet War, the State Publishing House of Ukraine managed to publish only two volumes of I. Franko's writings, although a team of Lviv scientists led by M. Vozniak had prepared for publishing a scientifically done 20-volume set of the writer's works. The German-Soviet War interrupted further printing. The post-war period's new socio-political conditions left very little space for creative activities, so M. Vozniak's attempts to complete the publication of all 25 volumes were unsuccessful in the end. Keywords: Ivan Franko, works, twenty-five-volume edition, compilers, editors, M. Vozniak.