Video: Halytsko-Podilska Yoknapatofa. Presentation of Soma Morgenstern's trilogy "Sparks in the Abyss," translated by Petro Rykhlo

Posted In: UJE Initiatives, Book Fairs/Festivals, Literature, Culture, Outreach 
Left to right: Professor Petro Rykhlo, in conversation with translator and public intellectual Andriy Pavlyshyn.

A conversation about the trilogy of Austrian writer, journalist of the newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung, music critic Soma Morgenstern (1890–1976) Sparks in the Abyss (written in 1930–1945, published after the war). The Ukrainian-born writer left wonderful memories of his childhood and youth in the Ternopil region, the translation of which was shortlisted for the Encounter Prize in 2021.

“The Testament of the Prodigal Son” by Soma Morgenstern.

The Ukrainian translation of the three-volume book The Testament of the Prodigal Son, The Idyll in Exile, The Son of the Prodigal Son, published by "Books 21" (Chernivtsi), is presented by an outstanding translator-Germanist, tireless popularizer of Bukovynian authors, Professor Petro Rykhlo, who was in conversation with translator and public intellectual Andriy Pavlyshyn. The event was conducted on 12 September 2026 at the Lviv International BookForum Festival in cooperation with the publishing house "Books 21".

Halytsko-Podilska Yoknapatofa. Presentation of Soma Morgenstern's trilogy Sparks in the Abyss, Lviv, 12 September 2026

Photo: Lviv International BookForum Festival/Maria Masiuk

Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Timeline wins international recognition while countering Russian propaganda

Ukrainians and Jews have lived as neighbours for centuries, creating and sharing enduring cultures that continue to inform their identities today. Ukrainian Jewish Encounter (UJE) is proud to present Part 1 of an integrated narrative of these two peoples in the belief that there is much to be gained by viewing their historical experience together, in all its complexity.

As Ukraine defends its very existence against Russia, the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Timeline serves to counter the malicious and false narratives about Ukraine and its history. The Timeline demonstrates that Ukraine is home to diverse peoples and, for centuries, one of the world’s oldest and largest Jewish communities.

Since its launch in September 2022, the UJE Timeline has earned international recognition by winning eight international awards:

Web Excellence Awards:

  • Excellence — Website Non-profit (2023)

w3 Awards:

  • Silver — Website Non-profit (2023)
  • Silver — Website Best Structure and Navigation (2023)
  • Silver— Website Best Visual Appeal and Aesthetics (2023)

Anthem Awards:

  • Bronze — Website Digital and Innovative Experiences (2024)

Communicator Awards:

  • Gold — Website Non-Profit (2024)
  • Silver — Website Structure and Navigation (2024)
  • Silver — Website Visual Appeal and Aesthetics (2024).

 

Encounter: The Ukrainian-Jewish Literary Prize  

The 'Encounter' prize aims to build on the common experiences of Ukrainians and Jews over the centuries, expressed in literature and nonfiction. The Prize will be awarded annually to the most influential work in literature and nonfiction (in alternate years) that fosters Ukrainian-Jewish understanding, helping solidify Ukraine's place as a multi-ethnic society and giving truth to the motto, "Our stories are incomplete without each other."

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A Journey Through the Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter

FROM ANTIQUITY TO 1914

The goal of the richly illustrated catalogue is to present an integrated narrative that looks at the experience of these two peoples together, in all its complexity — through periods of crisis, as well as long stretches of normal co-existence and multifaceted cultural interaction from antiquity to 1914.

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