Мазепа, гетьман український : історична поема
Руданський С. В. Мазепа, гетьман український : історична поема. – Одеса : Воля й доля, [1917]. – 30, [1] c. – (Вид-во «Воля й доля» ;ч[исло] 1).
The historical poem ‘Mazepa, Hetman of Ukraine’ by Stepan Rudanskyi (1834–1873) – poet, satirist, translator of ancient literature – is dedicated to the artistic interpretation of Hetman Ivan Mazepa as a statesman and symbol of Ukraine's struggle for political independence. In his work, the author created a coherent, original and poetically convincing image of the hetman, showing that a statesman who defends the freedom of his homeland cannot be an enemy and traitor to his people. Rudanskyi creatively reinterpreted historical and folkloric material, giving Mazepa's image new ideological and political nuances. It is for these reasons that the poem was banned from publication for a long time, both in Tsarist Russia and during the Soviet period.
This publication, produced in Odesa in 1917 by Vitaly Borovik's publishing house ‘Volia y Dolia’, is of considerable historical, cultural and bibliographical significance. It is a striking example of Ukrainian publishing activity in Odesa during the Ukrainian Revolution (1917–1921), when printed books became an important tool for national self-awareness and cultural mobilisation of society. The publication of a work dedicated to Ivan Mazepa attests to the active involvement of Odesa publishers in shaping the Ukrainian historical narrative and establishing national memory during the revolutionary period.