Drach Ivan Fedorovych (17.10.1936, the village of Telizhyntsi, Tetiivka region, Kyiv oblast’) – a poet, scriptwriter and public figure. He studied at Kyiv University (1958-61), graduated from the Higher Screen Courses of the USSR State Film Agency (Moscow, 1964). Since 1961 he has been an editor of the newspaper “Literary Ukraine”; employee of the script department of the Dovzhenko Kyiv Film Studio, editor of the “Vitchyzna” (Motherland) magazine; Secretary of the Board of the SPU (National Writers’ Union of Ukraine).

He is the author of such collections of poetry: The Sunflower (1962); Protuberances of the Heart (1965); Poems and Everyday Ballads (1967); To the Sources (1972); The Kyivan Sky (1976); American Notebook (1980); Dramatic Poems (Duma about the teacher) (1977); Spiritual sword (literary critical articles and essays, 1983); Hryhoriy Skovoroda (1984; with co-auth.); A Letter to a Viburnum Tree and Wings (2001); scripts of The well for the thirsty (1964); The lost letter (1971); Evenings on a Farm Near Dykan’ka (1984); film performance of The well for the thirsty (1967). The works have been translated into many languages.

He has been a Member of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine (since 1962). Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the I-IV convocations. He participated in meetings of the UN General Assembly as an advisor to the delegation of the Ukrainian SSR. Member of the Committee of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize (since 1999). Chairman of the State Committee for Information Policy, Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine (2000-02). Chairman of the Board of the “Ukraine-World” Society, Presidium of the Congress of the Ukrainian Intelligentsia. State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR. Named after T. Shevchenko (1976); State Prize of the USSR (1983, 1989); Literary Prize of the Latvian SSR named after O. Vatsiyetis (1984); Antonovychi Foundation Prize (USA). Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the 5th degree (1996). Dr. honoris causa Lviv. University (1997). Hero of Ukraine (2006).

Literature: ULE. Vol. 2; EHU. Vol. 2; Kovtun V. Ivan Drach: An attempt to portrait a Ukrainian politician. K., 1998; Tkachenko A. Ivan Drach – a poet, screenwriter, politician. K., 2000.

V. Pratsiovytyi