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For the First Time in the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy History Nobel Prize Winner Became NaUKMA Honorary Doctor

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Published on Tuesday, 12 April 2016 16:44

On April 7, 2016 Kyiv-Mohyla community met with Svetlana Alexievich - outstanding Belarusian writer, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

During this meeting Svetlana Alexievich was inaugurated as an Honorary Doctor of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. Such decision was approved by the NaUKMA Academic Council on February 11, 2016.

Svetlana Alexievich is an outstanding Belarusian writer and journalist. On October 8, 2015 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her polyphonic work - a monument to suffering and courage in our time." For the first time in the last 50 years the prize was awarded to the writer who mainly works in nonfiction genre; it was also the first time that the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to a professional journalist.

Among Svitlana’s other honorary awards: Herder and Remarque Prize (Germany), National Critics Award (USA), Angelus Central European Literary Award (Poland), Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France).

During her Nobel speech, she said: "I’m often called the writer of disasters, but it's not true, I'm always looking for the words of love. Hatred will not save us. Only love."

Her first published book, "War’s Unwomanly Face", was both a sensational collection of the Second World War real memories and the verdict to the official Soviet version of "historical truth" about events of those times. Her second book, "Zinc boys", dedicated to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, was met with the same feedback - great public fascination and angry, nervous reaction of the Soviet government. Her latest book is entitled "Second-Hand Time: The End of the Red Man" is a unique literary study of "Soviet man» (homo soveticus), which represents not only artistic but also historical and anthropological value.

For many years, Svetlana Alexievich maintains close relations with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, particularly with NaUKMA Center for European Studies and Kyiv Mohyla Academy publishing house "Dukh I Litera” (Spirit and Letter). In 2014 NaUKMA publishing house released Ukrainian translation of Svetlana Alexievich latest book "Second-Hand Time: The End of the Red Man."