Authors

Discussion

In 2024, the Ukrainian women’s movement marks 140 years since its inception, a milestone traced back to Natalia Kobrynska’s (1851–1920) founding of the first women’s organization, Tovarystvo Ruskykh Zhinok (Society of Ruthenian Women). This organization chose literature as its primary tool for women’s empowerment. Kobrynska laid the foundations of Ukrainian feminism by publishing the first women’s almanac, Pershy Vinok (The First Wreath, 1887), establishing the first women’s publishing house, Zhinocha Sprava (Women’s Business), translating key feminist works into Ukrainian, and developing her own theories of Ukrainian feminism. However, her progressive ideas were often too bold for her contemporaries, leaving her isolated and unrecognized at the time of her death. The Soviet regime further erased her legacy, rendering her contributions invisible for decades.

This paper reclaims Kobrynska’s seminal role in Ukrainian cultural and literary history as the first feminist in Ukraine. Her contributions to feminist thought and the promotion of women’s rights in the late 19th century were groundbreaking, not only in Ukraine but across Eastern Europe. 

The paper focuses on Pershy Vinok, the first Ukrainian women’s literary almanac, which Kobrynska edited and directed together with Olena Pchilka. The almanac brought together the works of 17 women writers of different ages (the youngest being 16 and the oldest 59), from varied social statuses (ranging from members of the Ukrainian elite to a peasant woman who could not write), and from different parts of Ukraine divided between two empires (the Russian and Austro-Hungarian). These contributions encompassed diverse genres, including poetry, essays, novels, and ethnographic and scientific research.

As part of my research at the University of Oxford, I analyse Pershy Vinok as a landmark in the history of Ukrainian feminism and literature, showcasing how it challenged patriarchal norms and advanced narratives of intellectual and social emancipation for women.

This paper also examines how Kobrynska’s work contributed to key feminist debates of her time, redefining women’s roles in public and literary spaces and advocating for gender equality in education and society.

By highlighting Kobrynska’s pioneering efforts and the lasting impact of Pershy Vinok, this paper sheds light on the intersection of feminism, literature, and national identity in Ukraine. It underscores how Kobrynska’s contributions resonate today, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities of feminist movements in both historical and contemporary contexts.