Overview

In the midst of a contentious atmosphere of the interwar period, the far-eastern province of Subcarpathian Rus’ attracted the personal curiosity and professional attention of Russian ethnographer and theoretician Petr Bogatyrev and Czech journalist-writer Ivan Olbracht. Both traveled extensively in the region and immersed themselves deeply in the life and culture of the local residents, Carpatho-Rusyns, and Hasidic Jews. Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus’: The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht explores for the first time in English the legacy they bequeathed in their respective work: Bogatyrev as an apolitical ethnographic collector and theoretician and Olbracht as a passionately committed Communist whose reports and brilliant stories from the region, including Nikola Šuhaj, Brigand, and The Sorrowful Eyes of Hannah Karadjic capture a glimpse of a world destined to change radically as a result of the ravages of war.

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9781666931709

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Reviews

Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus offers a fascinating journey into the symbolic landscape of Czechoslovakia's far-eastern province. Despite Petr Bogatyrev's significance in Slavic ethnographic studies and Ivan Olbracht's evocative storytelling, the contributions of these pioneers have remained largely inaccessible in English until now. Amidst debates on identity and colonialism, their meticulous work provides invaluable insights. Not only interwar upheaval and Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish communities in Subcarpathian Rus' are closely observed, but Krafcik takes us where the textbooks fail. Her attention to detail makes even the theory that Bogatyrev discussed with Roman Jakobson come alive! --Helena Tuzinsk�, Comenius University Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht by Slavicist Patricia A. Krafcik is a major, must-read contribution to the ever-burgeoning corpus of Carpatho-Rusyn studies. Brilliantly researched, organized, and written, Witnesses documents the studies of interwar Czechoslovakia's most ethnically diverse province by ethnographer and folklorist Petr G. Bogatyrev (1893-1971) and writer-journalist Ivan Olbracht (Kamil Zeman, 1882-1952). --Edward Kasinec, Stanford University Krafcik has written an eminently readable and impressively documented book about Subcarpathian Rus', a far-eastern province of interwar Czechoslovakia. Much more than a geographical and historical primer on this little-known region, where the Slavic East meets West, this book offers the reader an intimate familiarity with the life and times of its denizens. Krafcik accomplishes this with the help of two outsiders who became insiders, the Czech journalist and prosaist Ivan Olbracht and the Russian ethnographer and theoretician Petr Bogatyrev, whose works introduce us both to the Carpatho-Rusyns and to their neighbors, the Hasidic Jews. Krafcik's attention to the Jewish population, their religious practices and political orientations, is particularly noteworthy. --Robert A. Rothstein, University of Massachusetts Amherst Krafcik's book is a compelling exploration of the interwar years in Subcarpathian Rus'. Rather than a quantitative data-driven analysis, the author takes a cultural approach that builds on personal accounts and lived realities. Through the subjective perceptions of ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and writer Ivan Olbracht, Krafcik introduces the place and its people in an engaging manner that captures the reader's interest and stimulates further exploration. --Elaine Rusinko, author of Straddling Borders: Literature and Identity in Subcarpathian Rus' Patricia Krafcik's book masterfully connects two gifted, innovative but very different figures united by their common interest and expertise in and love for the land and peoples of Subcarpathian Rus'. The Russian ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and Czech novelist Ivan Olbracht managed to penetrate the society and culture of the Rusyn and Jewish population of the region as few outsiders ever have. Krafcik presents a very human portrait of both men as they navigated the turbulent history of twentieth century Eastern and East Central Europe, while themselves humanizing the peoples of Subcarpathian Rus' for a broader audience. Krafcik beautifully examines the intersection between these two important cultural figures with the land they came to know intimately and its unique but often-neglected population and history. --James Felak, University of Washington Subcarpathian Rus', or Ruthenia as it is more commonly known, has long been considered one of the more exotic parts of Europe. Located literally in the geographic heart of the continent, the Carpatho-Rusyn inhabitants of this stunningly enchanting mountainous region preserved their traditional lifestyle, antiquated Slavic language, and age-old folk customs and beliefs well into the twentieth century. The distinguished Russian ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and the very popular Czech writer, each through his own m�tier, documented in the 1920s and 1930s the unique cultural world of Subcarpathian Rus'. This volume by Patricia Krafcik provides a beautifully written scholarly account of the popular culture of Carpatho-Rusyns that Bogatyrev and Olbracht helped preserve for posterity. --Paul Robert Magocsi, University of Toronto This comparative and interdisciplinary study of two prominent cultural figures from interwar Czechoslovakia (the Czech Communist Olbracht and the Russian �migr� Bogatyrev) provides an erudite yet highly engaging description of one of Central Europe's least-known regions during a period of great social change. This book's detailed attention to Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish cultural traditions as those writers experienced them is particularly timely as an example of the national diversity within the territory of today's Ukraine. --Charles Sabatos, author of Frontier Orientalism and the Turkish Image in Central European Literature This is a beautifully delineated tale about two individuals who explored a remote mountain land in the heart of Europe, discovering there an intriguing blend of ancient Slavic culture and Christianity. Krafcik's thorough investigation of their lives and works is a wonderful contribution to our understanding of how scholars' personalities and backgrounds influence the lenses through which they see society and culture. Krafcik offers readers a thought-provoking journey in which a fascinating intersection of East and West inspires theoretical interpretations as well as contemplation of ethnic and national identities. Biographical treatment of Bogatyrev and Olbracht, for the first time available in English, is an invaluable source for anyone interested in the history of scholarly inquiry and the understanding of other cultures. A captivating story about theory and politics, magic and tradition, clash of cultures and a vanishing old world! --Tatiana Buzekov�, Comenius University This is a story of how two outsiders to the region--one Russian, one Czech--came to penetrate the mountainous Czechoslovak hinterland known as Subcarpathian Rus' (today a part of Ukraine) and to study the fascinating folklore and enchanted life worlds of its inhabitants. Steeped in knowledge gleaned from sources in seven languages, the author of Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' takes readers on a journey of discovery of both Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht and their scholarly and literary contributions while also bringing to life this bygone world, home to simple Slavic peasants and Hasidic Jews, brigands, and bears. --Patrice Dabrowski, author of The Carpathians: Discovering the Highlands of Poland and Ukraine

Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus offers a fascinating journey into the symbolic landscape of Czechoslovakia's far-eastern province. Despite Petr Bogatyrev's significance in Slavic ethnographic studies and Ivan Olbracht's evocative storytelling, the contributions of these pioneers have remained largely inaccessible in English until now. Amidst debates on identity and colonialism, their meticulous work provides invaluable insights. Not only interwar upheaval and Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish communities in Subcarpathian Rus' are closely observed, but Krafcik takes us where the textbooks fail. Her attention to detail makes even the theory that Bogatyrev discussed with Roman Jakobson come alive! --Helena Tuzinsk�, Comenius University Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht by Slavicist Patricia Krafcik, is a major, must-read contribution to the ever-burgeoning corpus of Carpatho-Rusyn studies. Brilliantly researched, organized, and written, Witnesses documents the studies of interwar Czechoslovakia's most ethnically diverse province by ethnographer and folklorist Petr G. Bogatyrev (1893-1971) and writer-journalist Ivan Olbracht (Kamil Zeman, 1882-1952). --Edward Kasinec, Stanford University Krafcik's book is a compelling exploration of the interwar years in Subcarpathian Rus'. Rather than a quantitative data-driven analysis, the author takes a cultural approach that builds on personal accounts and lived realities. Through the subjective perceptions of ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and writer Ivan Olbracht, Krafcik introduces the place and its people in an engaging manner that captures the reader's interest and stimulates further exploration. --Elaine Rusinko, author of Straddling Borders: Literature and Identity in Subcarpathian Rus' Patricia Krafcik has written an eminently readable and impressively documented book about Subcarpathian Rus', a far-eastern province of interwar Czechoslovakia. Much more than a geographical and historical primer on this little-known region, where the Slavic East meets West, Witnesses offers the reader an intimate familiarity with the life and times of its denizens. The author accomplishes this with the help of two outsiders who became insiders, the Czech journalist and prosaist Ivan Olbracht and the Russian ethnographer and theoretician Petr Bogatyrev, whose works introduce us both to the Carpatho-Rusyns and to their neighbors, the Hasidic Jews. Krafcik's attention to the Jewish population, their religious practices and political orientations, is particularly noteworthy. --Robert Rothstein, Amherst College Subcarpathian Rus', or Ruthenia as it is more commonly known, has long been considered one of the more exotic parts of Europe. Located literally in the geographic heart of the continent, the Carpatho-Rusyn inhabitants of this stunningly enchanting mountainous region preserved their traditional lifestyle, antiquated Slavic language, and age-old folk customs and beliefs well into the twentieth century. The distinguished Russian ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and the very popular Czech writer, each through his own m�tier, documented in the 1920s and 1930s the unique cultural world of Subcarpathian Rus'. This volume by Patricia Krafcik provides a beautifully written scholarly account of the popular culture of Carpatho-Rusyns that Bogatyrev and Olbracht helped preserve for posterity. --Paul Robert Magocsi, University of Toronto This comparative and interdisciplinary study of two prominent cultural figures from interwar Czechoslovakia (the Czech Communist Olbracht and the Russian �migr� Bogatyrev) provides an erudite yet highly engaging description of one of Central Europe's least-known regions during a period of great social change. This book's detailed attention to Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish cultural traditions as those writers experienced them is particularly timely as an example of the national diversity within the territory of today's Ukraine. --Charles Sabatos, author of Frontier Orientalism and the Turkish Image in Central European Literature This is a beautifully delineated tale about two individuals who explored a remote mountain land in the heart of Europe discovering there an intriguing blend of ancient Slavic culture and Christianity. Krafcik's thorough investigation of their lives and works is a wonderful contribution to our understanding of how scholars' personalities and backgrounds influence the lenses through which they see society and culture. Krafcik offers readers a thought-provoking journey in which a fascinating intersection of East and West inspires theoretical interpretations as well as contemplation of ethnic and national identities. Biographical treatment of Bogatyrev and Olbracht, for the first time available in English, is an invaluable source for anyone interested in the history of scholarly inquiry and the understanding of other cultures. A captivating story about theory and politics, magic and tradition, clash of cultures and a vanishing old world! --Tatiana Buzekov�, Comenius University This is a story of how two outsiders to the region--one Russian, one Czech--came to penetrate the mountainous Czechoslovak hinterland known as Subcarpathian Rus' (today a part of Ukraine) and to study the fascinating folklore and enchanted life worlds of its inhabitants. Steeped in knowledge gleaned from sources in seven languages, the author of Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' takes readers on a journey of discovery of both Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht and their scholarly and literary contributions while also bringing to life this bygone world, home to simple Slavic peasants and Hasidic Jews, brigands, and bears. --Patrice Dabrowski, author of The Carpathians: Discovering the Highlands of Poland and Ukraine

Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' The Sojourns of Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht by Slavicist Patricia A. Krafcik is a major, must-read contribution to the ever-burgeoning corpus of Carpatho-Rusyn studies. Brilliantly researched, organized, and written, Witnesses documents the studies of interwar Czechoslovakia's most ethnically diverse province by ethnographer and folklorist Petr G. Bogatyrev (1893-1971) and writer-journalist Ivan Olbracht (Kamil Zeman, 1882-1952). --Edward Kasinec, Stanford University Krafcik has written an eminently readable and impressively documented book about Subcarpathian Rus', a far-eastern province of interwar Czechoslovakia. Much more than a geographical and historical primer on this little-known region, where the Slavic East meets West, this book offers the reader an intimate familiarity with the life and times of its denizens. Krafcik accomplishes this with the help of two outsiders who became insiders, the Czech journalist and prosaist Ivan Olbracht and the Russian ethnographer and theoretician Petr Bogatyrev, whose works introduce us both to the Carpatho-Rusyns and to their neighbors, the Hasidic Jews. Krafcik's attention to the Jewish population, their religious practices and political orientations, is particularly noteworthy. --Robert A. Rothstein, University of Massachusetts Amherst This is a beautifully delineated tale about two individuals who explored a remote mountain land in the heart of Europe, discovering there an intriguing blend of ancient Slavic culture and Christianity. Krafcik's thorough investigation of their lives and works is a wonderful contribution to our understanding of how scholars' personalities and backgrounds influence the lenses through which they see society and culture. Krafcik offers readers a thought-provoking journey in which a fascinating intersection of East and West inspires theoretical interpretations as well as contemplation of ethnic and national identities. Biographical treatment of Bogatyrev and Olbracht, for the first time available in English, is an invaluable source for anyone interested in the history of scholarly inquiry and the understanding of other cultures. A captivating story about theory and politics, magic and tradition, clash of cultures and a vanishing old world! --Tatiana Buzekov�, Comenius University Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus offers a fascinating journey into the symbolic landscape of Czechoslovakia's far-eastern province. Despite Petr Bogatyrev's significance in Slavic ethnographic studies and Ivan Olbracht's evocative storytelling, the contributions of these pioneers have remained largely inaccessible in English until now. Amidst debates on identity and colonialism, their meticulous work provides invaluable insights. Not only interwar upheaval and Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish communities in Subcarpathian Rus' are closely observed, but Krafcik takes us where the textbooks fail. Her attention to detail makes even the theory that Bogatyrev discussed with Roman Jakobson come alive! --Helena Tuzinsk�, Comenius University Krafcik's book is a compelling exploration of the interwar years in Subcarpathian Rus'. Rather than a quantitative data-driven analysis, the author takes a cultural approach that builds on personal accounts and lived realities. Through the subjective perceptions of ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and writer Ivan Olbracht, Krafcik introduces the place and its people in an engaging manner that captures the reader's interest and stimulates further exploration. --Elaine Rusinko, author of Straddling Borders: Literature and Identity in Subcarpathian Rus' Subcarpathian Rus', or Ruthenia as it is more commonly known, has long been considered one of the more exotic parts of Europe. Located literally in the geographic heart of the continent, the Carpatho-Rusyn inhabitants of this stunningly enchanting mountainous region preserved their traditional lifestyle, antiquated Slavic language, and age-old folk customs and beliefs well into the twentieth century. The distinguished Russian ethnographer Petr Bogatyrev and the very popular Czech writer, each through his own m�tier, documented in the 1920s and 1930s the unique cultural world of Subcarpathian Rus'. This volume by Patricia Krafcik provides a beautifully written scholarly account of the popular culture of Carpatho-Rusyns that Bogatyrev and Olbracht helped preserve for posterity. --Paul Robert Magocsi, University of Toronto This comparative and interdisciplinary study of two prominent cultural figures from interwar Czechoslovakia (the Czech Communist Olbracht and the Russian �migr� Bogatyrev) provides an erudite yet highly engaging description of one of Central Europe's least-known regions during a period of great social change. This book's detailed attention to Carpatho-Rusyn and Hasidic Jewish cultural traditions as those writers experienced them is particularly timely as an example of the national diversity within the territory of today's Ukraine. --Charles Sabatos, author of Frontier Orientalism and the Turkish Image in Central European Literature This is a story of how two outsiders to the region--one Russian, one Czech--came to penetrate the mountainous Czechoslovak hinterland known as Subcarpathian Rus' (today a part of Ukraine) and to study the fascinating folklore and enchanted life worlds of its inhabitants. Steeped in knowledge gleaned from sources in seven languages, the author of Witnesses to Interwar Subcarpathian Rus' takes readers on a journey of discovery of both Petr Bogatyrev and Ivan Olbracht and their scholarly and literary contributions while also bringing to life this bygone world, home to simple Slavic peasants and Hasidic Jews, brigands, and bears. --Patrice Dabrowski, author of The Carpathians: Discovering the Highlands of Poland and Ukraine

Author Information

Patricia A. Krafcik is professor emerita of Russian language and literature and Slavic culture and folklore at The Evergreen State College.

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