Mariana Savka
Mariana Savka, also spelled Maryana Savka is a Ukrainian poet, children's writer, translator and a publisher. In 2003 she was awarded the Vasyl Stus Award.
Early life and education
Mariana Savka was born on 21 February 1973 in Kopychyntsi. Her father, Orest Savka, was a theater director and an activist. Mariana holds a degree in Ukrainian studies from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. During her studies, she co-created an all-female literary group ММЮННА ТУГА with Marianna Kiyanovska, Natalka Sniadanko and others. She also studied at the drama studio of the Les Kurbas Theatre in Lviv.Career
She worked as a researcher at the Stefanyk National Science Library which led to her publishing a work on Ukrainian emigrant press in the First Czechoslovak Republic. In the 1990s she also contributed to the literature section of the Postup daily. In 2001 she founded with her husband a publishing house called Vydavnytstvo Staroho Leva which initially focused on children's and young adult literature, then expanded into literature for adults. She is the editor-in-chief of the company.She debuted in 1995 with poetry book Оголені русла. Her works have appeared in various newspapers and magazines, such as Suchasnist`, Svitovyd, Kuryer Kryvbasu, Chetver, and the Ukrainian Quarterly, and have been featured in anthologies, including Метаморфози. Десять найкращих українських поетів останніх десятих років. Her works have been translated into seven languages including English, Russian and Polish. Apart from writing, Savka is also a composer and a singer in Maryanychi Trio, for which she has written over 30 songs. She also works as a translator.
Savka is s a member of PEN Ukraine and of the Council of the Center for the Study of Literature for Children and Youth. She serves as the United Nations Development Programme Tolerance Ambassador in Ukraine and is the vice-president of the Big Hedgehog literary prize: the first non-governmental literary award in Ukraine dedicated to honoring authors of books for children and youth.
In 1998, Savka won in the Fackel literature competition and in 2003 she was awarded the Vasyl Stus Award.