Famous people’s sayings about Taras Shevchenko
Yevhen Malanyuk
Not a poet – because that’s painfully little,
Not a tribune – because he’s just a mouthpiece for the masses,
And least of all – “Kobzar Taras”
He who took hold and ignited.
Ostap Vyshnya
“Taras Shevchenko! One person was enough to save an entire nation.”
Yevhen Sverstyuk
“The Shevchenko phenomenon reflects our national nature, our worldview, our past and our hope for the future. He symbolizes the soul of the Ukrainian people, embodies their dignity, spirit and memory…”.
Ivan Franko
“If I had to characterize Shevchenko’s poetry in one word, I would say: this is the poetry of the desire for life. A free life, a comprehensive, unencumbered development of the individual and the whole society, the whole people, is Shevchenko’s ideal, to which he was faithful all his life.
John F. Kennedy
“I am glad that I can add my voice to those who honor the great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. We honor him for his great contribution to the culture not only of Ukraine, which he loved very much and so eloquently described, but also to the culture of the world. His work is a noble part of our historical heritage.”
Mykola Palienko
You left us high aspirations,
Sacred paths to follow
The lessons of your conscience and courage
We cherish and will cherish.
Maksym Rylsky
“The people of Shevchenko do not forget and never will. The poet lives in the hearts of his people.”
Pavlo Tychyna
“Today, Shevchenko’s thoughts are inseparable from the thoughts of our people. And that is why the people turn to their poet so often and so willingly. Shevchenko’s humanism, his attitude towards man, his constant concern for the oppressed – how it resonates with us now!”
Pavlo Grabovsky
“The immortal spirit of the poet, as before, hovers over our native Ukraine, his prophetic word is unceasingly distributed and sows the living seeds of renewal in the people’s field.”
Mykola Pazyak
“Songs to Shevchenko’s words had a significant impact on Ukrainian folk poetry. They introduced fresh motifs and ideas into folk songs, enriched them with new content, and expanded their melodic sound. The transition of Shevchenko’s poems into the folk repertoire continues, with each generation of both amateur artists and professional composers replenishing it with new samples.”
Oles Honchap
“Shevchenko is the one who lives in each of us. He is like the very soul of our people, truthful and sincere… His poetry is spread everywhere, it is in our landscapes and in our songs, in the deepest, most cherished thoughts of everyone whose spirit is capable of development.”
“Shevchenko’s world fame grows and sizzles along with the fame of his people, along with the growth of the role and prestige of the new, free Ukraine…”
Anatoly Lunacharsky
“Thanks to Shevchenko, the treasures of the Ukrainian soul have flowed like a full river into the general flow of human culture.”
Alfred Kurella,
(Germany)
“Taras Shevchenko has no equal in world literature.”
Eusebiu Camilar,
(Romania)
“His genius has grown like a tree, stretching its crown over the centuries.”«Його геній розрісся, як дерево, простягнувши крону над віками».
Nazim Hikmet,
(Turkey)
“As long as people’s hearts beat, Shevchenko’s voice will also sound.”
Marian Jakubiec,
(Poland)
“He was the most popular poet of all the great poets of the world. Shevchenko’s poetry was a unique and inimitable phenomenon. It has no counterpart in world literature.”
John Diefenbaker
(Canada)
“If Shevchenko were alive here with us today, he would see the fruits of his creativity. He would see the freedom that the people of his people enjoy on this land. He would think about the people on his native land, who still do not have the right to freely determine their fate. Just as they suffered tyranny in his days, so now his numerous sons do not have freedom.”
“GU” and Kamianka City Library
named after T. Shevchenko
