Today marks the 180th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Ukrainian theatre figure Ivan Karpenko-Kary

As the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine reminds on Facebook, today, September 29, marks the 180th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Karpenko-Kary (Ivan Karpovich Tobilevich).

Ivan Karpenko-Kary was a Ukrainian writer, playwright, director, actor, and theater figure. He was one of the leading lights of Ukrainian professional theater. His work contributed to the formation and development of national culture.

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He was born in the village of Arsenivka in the Kherson region to Karp Adamovych Tobilevich and Evdokia Zinovievna Sadovskaya.

Along with his brothers and sister—Mykola Sadovsky, Panas Saksagansky, and Maria Sadovskaya-Barilotti—he became the founder of Ukrainian theater.

In 1883, he published the story "The Recruit" under the pseudonym Ignat Kary. He later adopted the pseudonym Karpenko-Kary. In exile in Novocherkassk, he wrote his first plays: "Burlaka" ("The Shepherd"), "Bondarevna," "The Talentless," and "The Mercenary."

In 1886, the first "Collection of Dramatic Works" was published in Kherson. Among his most famous works are: "Martin Borulya" (1886), "One Hundred Thousand" (1890), "The Master" (1900), "Vanity" (1903), "The Sea of ​​Life" (1904), and "Savva Chaly" (1899).

Иван Карпенко-Карый поднял украинскую драму на новый уровень, сделав её частью европейского культурного процесса. Его пьесы до сих пор ставятся и экранизируются.