Education
completed two-grade college, then studied at agric school; 1922-1923 studied at Khar’kov Communist University; 1923-1925 studied at Workers’ Faculty, Khar’kov Institute of Public Educ;
completed two-grade college, then studied at agric school; 1922-1923 studied at Khar’kov Communist University; 1923-1925 studied at Workers’ Faculty, Khar’kov Institute of Public Educ;
Telephonist with mine admin. Laborer at soda plant. 1917 first work printed.
1918-1919 private, then officer cadet, Ukr Nat Army. During Civil War contributed to frontline press, writing mainly in Russian. From 1920 private, then political officer, eng company, Red Army.
1933-1938 editing work. During World War 2 military corresp for frontline and republican newspapers. Successively member, “Plow”, “Gart”, “Vaplite” and VUSSP lit organizations.
The artificial famine in the Ukr in 1933, the suicide of Skripnik and Khvilyovyy and the constant threat of his own arrest and execution brought Sosyura to a nervous breakdown, and he spent some time in a mental hospital. Subjected to constant persecution and pressure by Soviet authorities. Several times “recanted his errors” and promised to reform his ways.
In early 1930’s, after the appearance of his poem “The Ukraine”, he fell into official disfavor and his works were not printed. During World War 2, when it was again possible to write of Ukr patriotism, Sosyura wrote his famous poem “Love the Ukraine”, (1944). 1951, several years after the war ended, he was roundly criticized for this same poem by the central press in Moscow.
His poetic style was strongly influenced by folk songs. Translated into Ukr works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Krylov, Nekrasov and some Soviet Russian poets. His own works have been translated into many of the languages of the peoples of the USSR and into other for languages.