Ivan Franko

Ivan Franko was born in Nahuyevychi, now the Lviv region of Ukraine, in 1856. Despite the early death of his parents, Ivan was eager to work and soon began school. He started writing in the first years of his studies. By the fifth grade, he was reading Shakespeare, Schiller, and Goethe, and in his final school years, Franko already wrote poems and translated from Greek, German, and Czech.

In 1890, Ivan Franko became one of the founders and the first leader of the first-ever Ukrainian political party, the Ruthenian-Ukrainian Radical Party. In real life, he was preaching and fighting for the principles and values described in his poems. Franko stated the need for Ukrainian people to stand up for themselves and their culture, to never give up, and to fight for freedom despite poverty, hardship, and political uncertainty.

Ivan Franko's name often comes to mind as one of the three greatest Ukrainian poets of all time, together with Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka. Writing in Ukrainian and having written more than 6,000 pieces of literature, including 10 poetry collections, Franko indeed became a true Ukrainian classic. His works of poetry still sound like relevant manifestos and are popular among Ukrainians these days.