"A song about Pumpkin" is a well-known work by an unknown author: the pages of Volodymyr Alexandrov’s archives

Abstract

Acquaintance with the creative works of Volodymyr Stepanovich Aleksandrov (June 20, 1825 - January 10, 1894), in particular with the text of his work «A Pumpkin Walks in the Garden», contributes to the formation of a national consciousness, expands the moral and aesthetic worldview, enriches emotional and evaluative activity, restores historical truth, promotes adherence to the principle of scientificity, forms interest in the artistic heritage of the artist, in particular, and the general picture of the literary process in Ukraine, in general, fosters a critical attitude to the materials presented in textbooks, fiction, and Internet resources. A critical analysis of sources devoted to the work of Volodymyr Stepanovich Alexandrov proved that active interest in this figure was shown by literary figures of the last century, in particular, V. Sichovyk, M. Komarov, V. Naumenko, K. Bilylovskyi, P. Grabovskyi, I. Yerofeiv, P. Kulish, M. Wozniak, etc.

In the article «Ukrainian Poet - Doctor of Science, General» (2024), H. Cherkaska refers to the biography of V. Aleksandrov, but does not indicate references to archival sources.

Currently, there is insufficient interest of literary researchers in the artist's creative heritage, which has led to factual errors regarding the authorship and genre of the work «Pumpkin Song». The purpose of our research was chosen: to introduce into scientific circulation the letters of Volodymyr Aleksandrov to Borys Grinchenko (1888-1889), in which mentions of work on the text «The Song of the Pumpkin» were recorded; familiarize with the text published in «Zora» (1889); publish Maria Grinchenko's memories of V. Aleksandrov's funeral in Kharkiv and Boris Grinchenko's speech at his grave; reproduce the text of «Songs about Pumpkin» by V. Aleksandrov, published in «Skladka»; to present some biographical materials and the assessment of contemporaries, which testifies to the role of V. Aleksandrov in the Ukrainian literary process.

Therefore, the work of V. S. Aleksandrov needs further thorough research. Since next year, 2025, will be the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Volodymyr Aleksandrov, we suggest turning to his handwritten editions, archives of another forgotten and underappreciated creator of the Ukrainian literary process.