New Europe Book Club - April 2026 / "Forest Song" by Lesia Ukrainka
Schedule
Sat Apr 25 2026 at 02:30 pm to 04:30 pm
UTC-07:00Location
Rose City Book Pub | Portland, OR
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This month we continue reading "Forest Song" by Lesia Ukrainka—a beloved author, one of the classics of Ukrainian literature. Born Larysa Kosach in 1871, she chose the penname Lesia Ukrainka--Ukrainian woman. Lesia Ukrainka was a Ukrainian poet and dramatist whose works helped shape modern Ukrainian language and literature; while many people know her poetry, she’s particularly celebrated for her plays, which are bold, philosophical, and deeply human.
The play “Forest Song”—written in 1911 and first staged in Kyiv in 1918—is a poetic, dreamlike drama where nature and changing seasons speak to humans through mythic beings from Ukrainian folklore, exploring timeless tensions like loyalty and betrayal, freedom and constraint, and what it costs to live in harmony with the natural (and inner) world.
We’ll read the Percival Cundy English translation (originally published in 1950 in "Spirit of Flame" collection), available as a freely accessible PDF:
https://tarnawsky.artsci.utoronto.ca/elul/English/Ukrainka/Ukrainka-ForestSong.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawQRadBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhWXFTVURGS0ZKVWRPUUtCc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHluQcXUJ7jDj7-rAE8Pjn46vhzwrNTYf7pGPLHGKK9aiFB3S2bxe9fX10TdK_aem_3MylBAwcLVulAKgQGwXdNg
We look forward to seeing you on March 21! Happy reading!
#PortlandLviv
#NewEuropeBookClub
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Where is it happening?
Rose City Book Pub, 1329 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212-2218, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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