(essay)

Grigory Kochur is a man who devoted his life to making Ukrainian culture part of the world treasury. His translations opened up whole new horizons for Ukrainians, allowing them to feel the power and depth of the poetry of Shakespeare, Dante and dozens of other geniuses.

Grigory Kochur, despite years of persecution and prohibitions, did not break down. In the Soviet camps, where he was for more than 10 years, he continued to translate, although he had neither dictionaries nor texts. His love for the literary word, for his native language and culture was so strong that nothing could destroy it. Thanks to Kochur, Ukrainian literature started loudly speaking the languages of the world, and the world classics started sounding Ukrainian — deeply, poetically, strongly.