Vakulenko K. Oleksa Myshanych - a researcher of ancient Ukrainian literature

The paper is devoted to the study of literary works of Oleksa Vasyliovych Myshanych (1933-2004). The researcher is one of the brightest Ukrainian literary critics of the second half of the twentieth century. Vasyl Bedzir, Oleksandr Havrosh, Mykola Zhulynskyi, Ilona Kostikova, Yurii Lutsenko, Vasyl Markus, Yaroslav Myshanych, Mykola Mushynka, Vasyl Pop, Fedir Prokopenko, Yevhen Pshenichnyi, Mykola Sulima, Leonid Ushkalov, Dmytro Fedaka wrote about his life and academic activity, in particular about the scientist’s historical and literary works dedicated to ancient Ukrainian literature. However, there is still no thorough historiographical research devoted to O. Myshanych as to a researcher of ancient Ukrainian literature, which determines the relevance of the study. O. Myshanych was a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU), Doctor of Philology, and Professor. He was the scientific secretary, the first vice president of the International Association of Ukrainian studies for ten years, and he headed the National Association of Ukrainian studies in 1999–2002. He edited and published six volumes of proceedings from the first to the fifth Congresses of the International Association of Ukrainian studies The scientific novelty of the gained results is determined by the fact that the dissertation: for the first time most fully traces scientist’s life and creative way (based on O. Myshanych’s personal archive, interviews, contemporaries’ memoirs, as well as a comprehensive analysis of his scientific work in a broad literary context); reproduces the most complete picture of his academic activity; studies the scientist’s works devoted to “Slovo o polku Ihorevim”, the literary process of Zakarpattia, H. Skovoroda’s work for the first time.