Ukrainian-American author Yurii Tarnawsky dies at 91

Pioneering Ukrainian-American author Yurii Tarnawsky has died at 91, his wife Karina Zalewska announced on Oct. 17 via his personal Facebook page.

Born in 1934 in Turka — then part of Poland, now in western Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast — Tarnawsky's family emigrated to Germany in 1944, where he attended school, and then settled in the U.S. in the early 1950s.

A co-founder of the New York Group — a collective of Ukrainian emigre writers — Tarnawsky helped to expand and redefine contemporary Ukrainian literature through his embrace of narrative structure experimentation and linguistic innovation.

"His poetic work represents an entire galaxy for Ukrainian literature — his prose and dramaturgy embody the ecstasy of experimentation, and his views on art were radical in their unrestrained desire for change," New York-based Ukrainian author Vasyl Makhno told the Kyiv Independent.

"Tarnavsky, although he grew up and developed outside his homeland, earned the right to be called a great poet of the Ukrainian language."

Tarnawsky's literary career traversed a wide array of genres, including poetry, fiction, drama, essays, and translation.

His trilogy "The Placebo Effect" — comprising "Like Blood in Water," "The Future of Giraffes," and "View of Delft"— is counted among his greatest works. The trilogy is notable for its interwoven short stories, which Tarnawsky called "mininovels," that blend existential inquiry with a sharp, absurdist humor fit for exploring themes like alienation in modern society.

In addition to his literary achievements, Tarnawsky also worked for a number of years at the U.S. tech company IBM on automated language translation projects and artificial intelligence.

Those who knew and admired him, while deeply saddened by his passing, are confident that his work will live on and continue to influence future generations of authors.

"The last time we spoke on the phone was about three weeks ago — through the receiver, I heard the fading impulses of his voice, as if the dynamics of life were slowing down," Makhno said.

"But I hope that the statics will resonate, reaching high octaves in the orchestration of the poet's marvelous style."