The Executed Renaissance

The Executed Renaissance, An Anthology, 1917–1933: Poetry, prose, drama and essay (Ukrainian: «Розстріляне відродження: Антологія 1917—1933: Поезія—проза—драма—есей») is an anthology of works by Ukrainian poets and prosaists of the 1920s and 1930s. The term's origin is attributed to the Ukrainian émigré and literary critic Yuriy Lavrinenko, who published the anthology in 1959 in Paris with the support of Jerzy Giedroyc, a Polish writer and activist. The anthology itself is based on the idea of the "Executed Renaissance," which Giedroyc coined to describe the hundreds of writers—both Ukrainian literati and intellectuals—who were arrested and executed under Joseph Stalin. This cultural elite became a target during the Great Terror (August 1937 to November 1938) because they were in a position to expose oppression and betrayal and could quickly become the targets of treason themselves. During the 1917 Revolution, the works of the poets were popular features and rallying chants. The body of literature was also recognized for its contribution to the emergence of the modern Ukrainian national idea.