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Greece Publishes First Major Ukrainian Poetry Anthology, Spanning 200 Years of Verse
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A new anthology of Ukrainian poetry—spanning both classical and contemporary works—has been published in Greece by Koukkida Editions (ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΚΟΥΚΚΙΔΑ), marking a milestone in the country’s literary engagement with Ukraine.
This was reported by Ukrainian media outlet Chytomo on August 1, citing Greek literary scholar and one of the anthology’s curators, Michael Patsīs.
According to Patsīs, knowledge of Ukrainian poetry in Greece was until recently limited to a few well-known names like Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka. “Only in recent years have we begun to study Ukraine more closely,” he wrote.
The bilingual volume is divided into two main sections: the first features Classical Ukrainian Poetry, covering the period from 1800 to 1989; the second showcases Contemporary Ukrainian Poetry, spanning from 1991 to the present.
Rather than following purely literary classifications, the editors chose to organize the collection along historical lines—treating 1989 as a turning point marked by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the decline of the Warsaw Pact , and the rise of national identities in Eastern Europe.
The anthology includes brief biographies of the poets, commentary on selected poems, and a dedicated essay on the Ukrainian language—its development, distinct Slavic identity, and political significance. The book also provides vital cultural and historical context, from the 1863 Valuev Circular to the literary repression of the 1930s known as the “Executed Renaissance.”
Featured poets in the classical section include Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Mykhail Semenko, Pavlo Tychyna, Volodymyr Sosiura, Mykola Bazhan, Vasyl Symonenko, Vasyl Stus, Lina Kostenko, and others.
The contemporary section showcases work by poets such as Natalka Bilotserkivets, Yurii Andrukhovych, Oksana Zabuzhko, Iryna Shuvalova, Liubov Yakymchuk, Yuliia Musakovska, Hlib Babich, Myroslav Laiuk, Iya Kiva, among many others.
“Reading modern Ukrainian poetry, you encounter a country that is dynamic, beautiful, fighting for its freedom—and inspiring others,” Patsīs wrote.
Earlier, it was reported that a book by Ukrainian writer, journalist, and screenwriter Andrii Kurkov Ukraine: Diaries of an Invasion (Ucrânia: Diário de uma guerra), was named one of the best publications in Brazil for the first half of 2025.
