Oles Ilchenko

Oles Ilchenko is a prominent Ukrainian poet, prose writer, children’s author, cultural critic, and screenwriter. Born in Kyiv on October 4, 1957, he has lived in the Ukrainian capital for most of his life, though his extensive travels have deeply influenced his worldview and literary work. In recent years, he has resided in Switzerland with his wife. Ilchenko holds degrees from the Drahomanov National Pedagogical University in Kyiv and the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute.

His extensive bibliography spans multiple genres, capturing the richness of Ukrainian culture and personal memory. He is the author of twenty-two engaging books for children, as well as the acclaimed novels City with Chimeras (2009) and My Beloved Kyara (2011). His reflections on his hometown are beautifully preserved in his memoir covering the 1970s through the 1990s, Collectors of the Mists: Subjective Notes from a Life in Kyiv (2017).

As a poet, Ilchenko has published seven primary collections, including A Wintry Garden (1991), Constellation AS (1993), A Different Landscape (1997), Pages (2004), Cities and Islands (2004), Conversation before Silence (2005), and Certain Dreams, or A Kyiv which is Not (2007). English-speaking readers can explore his evocative verse in Conversations before Silence: The Selected Poetry of Oles Ilchenko, published by Glagoslav Publications in 2017.

Beyond his literary books, Ilchenko is an accomplished screenwriter and the author of numerous insightful articles on various cultural issues. When he is not writing, his favorite pastimes include traveling, swimming, and exploring the culinary arts through experimental cooking.