Ukrainian and Slavic Studies: Home

Welcome to the Ukrainian & Slavic Studies guide. Use this guide to get oriented to Library resources and services, find information, or get help with your research questions. 

As the Liaison Librarian for the Ukrainian & Slavic Studies, I can provide a wide range of library services to students and faculty, including library instruction, research assistance / consultations, selecting print and online resources, promoting information literacy, developing instructional support, etc.

Need help with something else? Please feel welcome to contact me and I will do my best to assist you.

Lesya Ukrainka Statue & Garden:  located outside of Murray Library facing the Arts Building.

Lesya Ukrainka Statue

Lesya Ukrainka (1871-1913), pen name of Larysa Kosach-Kvitka, was one of Ukraine’s best-known poets and writers.  The celebrated Ukrainian poet made her mark on Ukrainian and world literature through her diverse writing talents. Her profound knowledge of world history and languages enabled her to write extensively across genres on a variety of subjects. Through her lyrical works and dramatic poems, she vividly developed the themes of patriotism, human dignity, and personal integrity. Her work is timeless in its powerful assertion of human rights and freedoms.

In 1976, this bronze statue of Lesya Ukrainka, created in Kyiv, Ukraine (then USSR) by sculptor Halyna Kal’chenko and architect Anatoliy Ihnashchenko, was unveiled on the University of Saskatchewan campus in its original location near the Arts Building, amid celebration and controversy.  Before acceptance by the University, both the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon declined the gift.  Commissioned by the Association for Cultural Relations with Ukrainians Abroad, at the time the statue was seen by some as Soviet propaganda designed to rehabilitate their international reputation tarnished, in part, by injustices perpetrated against the people of Ukraine. 

In the 21st century, through a generous donation from the late Dr. Victor O. Buyniak, former Head of the Department of Slavic Studies, as well as through the support of alumni and the wider Ukrainian community, the statue was refurbished and moved to its present location.  It was unveiled there in a ceremony held on August 1, 2013—the centenary of the poet’s death.