Roman Kudlyk, Ukrainian poet & literary critic, Died at 77

Roman Mykhailovych Kudlyk was born on May 4, 1941 in Jaroslaw, Poland and died on January 21, 2019. He was a Ukrainian poet and writing critic.

Roman was born in a family of a serviceman. In 1945 he moved to Drohobych.

In 1958, Roman obtained his general education in Drohobych. In 1959 he enrolled in Lviv University and graduated in 1964.

He then obtained work as an electrician at the local oil refinery, newspaper and a magazine called October.

He also worked at the Lvivian TV-studio as the head of the literal department of the Lviv regional concert hall.

Roman writing was first published in 1957 by newspapers and magazines and then later in the collective volumes Apple bloom (Yablunevy tsvit, 1961) and Godspeed (Schaslyvoi dorohy, 1962).

He had been a member of the National Society of Writers (Ukraine) since 1965.

Roman was the author of the lyrics to Volodymyr Ivasiuk's songs, I am your wing («Я — твоє крило», 1972), «Нам спокій, друже, тільки сниться» (1978), «Освідчення».

His writings have been put to music in the songs of Ihor Bilozir («Спогади літньої ночі», «Лебеді весни»), and Bohdan Yanivsky.

Roman wrote a libretto to several opera works of Bohdan Yanivsky, Oles Ballad «Олеська балада» (after the roman of Roman Ivanchuk Cherlene vyno «Черлене вино»), Princess Frog «Царівна Жаба», Golden chatter «Золотий гомін» (by Pavlo Tychyna), and musicals Fox Mykyta «Лис Микита», Ring of Temptation «Перстень спокуси».

He then received the Lviv regional award of Oleksandr Havryliuk and in 1997 the Literal award of Vasyl Mysyk for the series of poems Night time grape-picking.

Roman was the head of the magazine Dzvin and lived in Lviv, where he died at age 77 on January 21, 2019.