Kobzar (poetry collection)

Kobzar, first edition (1840)

Kobzar (Ukrainian: Кобзар, "The bard"), is a book of poems by Ukrainian poet and painter Taras Shevchenko, first published by him in 1840 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Taras Shevchenko was nicknamed The Kobzar after the publishing of this book. From that time on this title has been applied to Shevchenko's poetry in general and acquired a symbolic meaning of the Ukrainian national and literary revival.

The first publication consisted of eight poems: "Думи мої, думи мої, лихо мені з вами"(My thoughts, my thoughts, you are my doom), "Перебендя" (Perebendya), "Катерина" (Kateryna), "Тополя" (Poplar tree), "Думка" (Thought), "Нащо мені чорні брови" (Why should I have Black Eyebrows), "До Основ'яненка" (To Osnovyanenko), "Іван Підкова" (Ivan Pidkova), and "Тарасова ніч" (Taras's night).

There was three editions of the Kobzar during Shevchenko's lifetime: 1840, 1844 and 1860. Two last of them included Hajdamaki — another famous book (poem) by Taras Shevchenko, published in 1841. 1844 edition was entitled as Чигиринський Кобзар і Гайдамаки ("Chyhyryn's Kobzar and Hajdamaki" or "Kobzar of Chyhyryn and Hajdamaki").

Censorship in the Russian Empire prompted publication of the poetry by Taras Shevchenko in non-Russia-ruled lands, such as Prague (now in the Czech Republic) or German editions.

Word definition

Literally, kobzar in Ukrainian means a bard, although not a regular one, but rather the one who along with singing plays on a musical instrument, kobza. Kobza is roughly similar to a lute.

In the contemporary Ukrainian the word is also associated with the famous Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko who was given the same nickname.

A complete collection of Ukrainian poems by Taras Shevchenko is called Kobzar too, after the title of Shevchenko's first book.

See also

• Izbornyk
• List of Ukrainian-language poets
• List of Ukrainian-language writers
• Ukrainian literature