Kalynets Ihor Myronovych (9 July 1939, the town of Hodoriv, Zhydachiv raion, Lviv oblast) – a poet, novelist, a representative of “sixties”, dissident. He studied at the Faculty of Philology of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (1956–61). He worked in Lviv Regional State Administration Archive (1961-72); In 1972 he was repressed for anti-Soviet agitation and sentenced to 6 years in prison camps and 3 years of exile, which he served at the northern part of the Urals and Transbaikalia; since 1981, after he was released, he worked in Lviv Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR library; participated in the publication of the Samvydav (self-publishing) magazine “Evshan-potion” in 1987, later was an editor.
He is the author of 17 collections of poetry, among which Kupalo’s Bonfire: Poetry (Kyiv, 1966); Poetry from Ukraine: the second collection of poetry (Brussel, 1970); Reassessing silence: Lyrics on a Contemporary Theme (Munich, 1971); The Crowning of the Scarecrow (New York, 1972); Thirteen Alogias; The Cossack Mamay Myth; For Lada and Morana: Poetry (Kyiv, 1991). Different collections of poetry, written by Kalynets, became a part of Captive Muse: 1973–1981 Poetry (Baltimore; Toronto, 1991; Kharkiv, 2004); Awakened Muse: Poetry (Warshaw, 1991; Kharkiv, 2004); The Ongoing Word: Poetry (Kharkiv, 1997). Ihor Myronovych is the author of the tale We Pray to the Faraway Stars (Lviv, 1997), fairy tales for children, a work All the Known and Unknown about Antonych: Materials for the Biography of Bohdan Ihor Antonych (Lviv, 2010), translations from Polish, among which Jerzy Harasymowicz. Lichtarz Ruski: 1957–1999 Poezja (Lviv, 2003); Ukraine. The Way of the Cross: Victors Kaminskyi’s Symphony-Cantata on Ihor Kalynets’ poetry (Liturgical music of Ukraine. 2000. 7 issue).
He was an honor. member of the International PEN Club. He was awarded the І. Franko Prize (Chicago, 1978), the V. Stus Prize (Kyiv, 1992), the T. Shevchenko State Award of Ukraine (1992), the Antonovych Prize (1997), the Calvir-i-Quir International Poetry Prize (2004). He was acknowledged as the Dr. honoris causa of the Lviv University (2010). He also was awarded the Golden Medal of the Order by the Association of Ukrainian Former Combatants in Great Britain (England, 1994). The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (5th Class) in 2008, and the Order of Liberty (2009).
Literature: ULE Vol. 2; Ilnytskyi M. Lips Open Up with Metaphoric Key … Ihor Kalynets’ Poetry. Paris; Lviv; Zwickau, 2001; Ihor Kalynets: Bibliographic index / COMP.: M. Kalynyak, H. Shmilo; Preface. І. Klyuchkovska. Lviv, 2009.
A.Pecharskyi