Glagoslav Publications Presents the English Translation of the Comic Novella "The Witch of Konotop" by "the Father of Ukrainian Prose" Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko

London, United Kingdom, November 17, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Summary:

Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko (1778–1843) is considered by many to be “the father of Ukrainian prose” and deserving of a wider readership. Born to a prominent Ukrainian family from just outside of Kharkiv, he became a tireless cultural activist for his Ukrainian people. His prose works such as the sentimentalist Marusya (1833) and the comic The Witch of Konotop (1837) along with his theatrical works such as Matchmaking at Honcharivka (1834) earn him a place in the pantheon of nineteenth-century Ukrainian writers.

The Witch of Konotop (written in 1833 and published in 1836–37) is a beloved, classic Ukrainian comic novella that is little known outside of Ukraine. Part of the reason for this has been the difficulty in translating its complex stylistic levels that range from archaic Old Church Slavonic to colorful, colloquial Ukrainian. It shares several stylistic similarities to Mykola Hohol’s (aka Nikolai Gogol’s) Ukrainian horror tales in Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka (1833). These include a folksy, rambling narrator; comical situations with moral lessons; insignificant detail; ironic asides; as well as a thematic focus on Ukrainian folk belief in witches and demons.
Review copies are available upon request.

Title: The Witch of Konotop
Author: Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko
Translator: Michael M. Naydan and Alla Perminova
Publisher: Glagoslav Publications
Language: English
Extent: 200 pages
Price: €22.99 (PB), €26.99 (HB), €9.95 (e-book)
Format: paperback, hardback, e-book