On 30 November, the 136th anniversary of Stanisław Vincenz’s birth, his native village of Słoboda welcomed guests—admirers of the work of the ‘Homer of the Hutsul region’.
The annual November ‘Vincenz Readings’ in Słoboda, near the memorial sign installed on the site of the former Vincenz parental home, have already become a fine tradition. The success of this undertaking is owed to many individuals of a passionate character living here who value the cultural heritage of their village and region. and playing the lead role is the staff of the local library, headed by Ms Lyubov Motrynets. for the record, the library in Słoboda is currently the only library in all of Ukraine and the world to bear the honorary name of Stanisław Vincenz.
Let us note—this activity is not currently funded by any state or international project. it is a pure manifestation of civic initiative and volunteering in the sphere of culture.
A deep introduction to the literary, philosophical, publicistic, and epistolary legacy of Stanisław Vincenz seems more relevant today than ever. it is not without reason that he is also called the ‘Man of Dialogue’ and a herald of a united Europe. moreover, he possessed the gift of an unparalleled conversationalist…
Given the latest threats to the international legal order, both Ukraine and the European community very much need today: his humanistic worldview, sincere dialogue, understanding, empathy, and the solidarity of peoples and nations—all those values which “hold the future in their arms.”
Thus we heartily thank the community of Słoboda for hosting this event and for promoting the mentioned values at their own, local level. Thank you for your words, for the moving reading of Vincenz’s texts in Polish and Ukrainian, and for your singing and music! and for the generous Carpathian treats!
This year, for the first time, a group of philology students from the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University joined the company in Słoboda, having been interested in and motivated to take part in the “Vincenz Readings” by their mentor, Tamara Tkachuk, an associate professor in the Department of World Literature and Comparative Literature. This inspires hope for a potential expansion of the Readings’ format in coming years.
We believe it is already time to build plans for hosting the November 2025 Readings, including international participation and an educational-scientific component in their programme.
We believe that with the return of peace to Ukraine, we shall succeed in everything!
And finally — Serdecznie gratulujemy z urodzinami, drogi Panie Stanisławie! Nie jesteś zapomniany w swojej małej ojczyźnie!
