Cherin, Hanna

[SIGNED] Nebesni virshi: Poezii i poema “Dobro i zlo” = Celestial Poems

Buenos Aires: Vydavnytstvo Yuliana Serediaka, 1973. Item #1510

112 pages: portrait. 20 cm. One of 1,000 copies printed. Cover design by Mykola Kavka. Signed by the author on the title page.

A poetry collection by Hanna Cherin, a prominent figure in the Ukrainian literary diaspora. Subtitled with the reflective line “Dobro i zlo” [Good and Evil], this 1973 volume showcases her ethereal and metaphysical verse, largely inspired by the cosmos, night skies, and humanity’s place in the universe. Several poems were conceived mid-flight, as noted in the author’s own introduction, while others reflect a meditative solitude under starlight — moments that evoke the timeless Ukrainian poem “Dyvlius’ ia na nebo…” The author notes that these poems were written spontaneously and revised within a few months in 1972. The collection stands out for its thematic focus on celestial imagery and introspection, distinguishing itself from her earlier works by both tone and scope.

Hanna Cherin (pseudonym of Halyna Ivanivna Hrybinska-Pankiv, b. 1924, Kyiv) was a Ukrainian émigré poet, librarian, and literary figure. After being displaced by WWII and working in the Ukrainian editorial circles of Berlin, she emigrated to the U.S. in 1950. Despite economic hardship, she later earned degrees in linguistics and library science from the University of Chicago, where she worked in the international exchange department for over two decades (1964–1988). She published prolifically in exile, with notable poetry collections including Kreshchendo (1949), Vahonetky, Zelen’ moria, and Smiites’ zi mnoiu. Her literary output includes works for both adults and children, as well as essays and criticism in Ukrainian diaspora periodicals.

Price: $100.00