Outstanding people of Ukraine / Выдающиеся люди Украины

In the history of every country there have always been people, whose actions and ideas produced a great impact on the lives of other people. That's why they are called outstanding. In the history of Ukraine there were very many of such people. Some of them became world-famous. Ukraine has given the world many outstanding poets, scientists, writers, composers.

The names of Korolyov, Vernadskyi, Zabolotnyi, Bogomolets, Sklifosofskyi, Paton, and other Ukrainian scientists are well-known all over the world. Yevgeniy Paton was a prominent Ukrainian scientist in the field of bridge-building. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Dresden, and from the Institute of Engineers of the Means of Communication in St. Petersburg. Paton was a professor at the Polytechnic Institute in Kiev. He dedicated his life to the science of designing bridge. He was the author of several original projects for bridges, made a great contribution to the technology of their building and the methods of testing them. One of the longest bridges across the Dnieper is named after him. His son Boris Paton continued his father's career. Nowadays modern Ukrainian scientists achieve great success in the field of mathematics, physics, biology and medicine

The names of T. Shevchenko, Lessya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Marko Vovchok, Grigoriy Skovoroda, and Nikolay Gogol won universal recognition. Their ideas still produce great impact on the lives of other people. N. Gogol is one of my favourite Russian writers of Ukrainian origin. He was born on the 1st of April 1809 in Velyki Sorochyntsi, Poltava gubernia. While working as a minor civil servant, Gogol spent his free time composing short stories based on his observations and memories of life in Ukraine. The first two volumes of these stories, «Evenings on a Farm near Dykanka» brought him immediate fame. He also wrote his famous story «The Overcoat» and his epic work «Bead Souls». In 1852 under the influence of a religious fanatic Gogol burned the second part of «Dead Souls», refused all food, and stayed in bed until his death.

Ilia Repin was one more famous representative of the Ukrainian art. He was an outstanding painter, a full member of St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Many of his works are dedicated to Ukraine, its people, culture and history. Among them there are the most famous paintings «The Zhaporozhian Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan», «Haidamakys», «Cossack in the Steppe», and «Hopak». He also painted many portraits of cultural figures, both Russian and Ukrainian (M. Kostomarov. I. Kramskoi, T. Shevchenko and others).

In Ukrane there is a unique musical instrument «kobza». The one who plays is called «kobzar». One of the most famous kobzars was Hnat Honcharenko. Blind from his childhood, he learned to play kobza at 20—22 and wandered singing and playing dumas, psalms, and humorous songs and teaching other kobzars. He spent the last part of his life mostly in Sevastopol In 1908 Lesia Ukrainka took Honcharenko to Yalta and, with her husband K. Kvitka recorded his dumas. F. Kolessa transcribed and published them in the collection «The Melodies of Ukrainian Folk Dumas». Ukrainian culture has always been famous for its talented people and their masterpieces.

Словарь

universal recognition — мировое признание

observations and memories — наблюдения и воспоминания

to compose — составлять

a volume — том

a masterpiece — шедевр