Coin Ukraine 2025 #07 The Executed Renaissance. Mykola Khvylovy BOOKLET

Description

The Executed Renaissance. Mykola Khvylovy

“Розстріляне відродження. Микола Хвильовий” у сувенірному пакованні

This coin celebrates a literary and artistic generation of the 1920s and early 1930s that gave a powerful impetus to the development of Ukrainian culture, but was ruthlessly destroyed by Soviet repression. An important cultural center of that period was the Slovo House in Kharkiv, a hub of creativity and a place of tragic events, where innovative views were born, fierce intellectual debates were held, and new artistic movements were born. Mykola Khvylovy (real name Fitiliov) was a key figure in Ukraine’s cultural revival, one of the founders of Ukrainian post-revolutionary prose, a poet and publicist. His work contributed to the establishment of Ukraine-centrism and the integration of national culture into the global context. The early death of Khvylovy became a symbol of the collapse of the ideals of Ukrainian national communism and the end of the era of Ukrainian national revival in the 1920s and 1930s. This commemorative coin begins the theme of the Executed Renaissance, honoring the contribution of Mykola Khvylovy and all the artists who bravely created and developed Ukrainian culture despite severe oppression.

Obverse: there is a stylized legend СЛОВО (meaning “word” in Ukrainian), the name of the Kharkiv House of Writers of the 1930s. The texture of the letters shows a sprout of winter wheat, an image of the younger generation of artists whose lives and work were ruthlessly destroyed by the totalitarian government. The tragedy of the historical era is emphasized by the shot through the letter “O”, which is bleeding, reminding us of a painful wound in the history of Ukraine and the unfulfilled dreams of talented artists. Under the text composition are the legend УКРАЇНА (Ukraine), the coin’s issue year – 20 / 25, Ukraine’s small coat of arms, the coin’s face value 5, the graphic symbol of the hryvnia, and the mint mark of the NBU’s Banknote Printing and Minting Works.

Reverse: against a smooth background is a stylized portrait of Mykola Khvylovy. The symbolic composition conveys a deep meaning: the writer’s face seems to be imprisoned among irregularly shaped stone slabs, reflecting the totalitarian regime’s attempts to destroy the memory of the artist. To the right of the portrait are the vertical legends: МИКОЛА / ФІТІЛЬОВ (Mykola / Fitiliov), the artist’s real name in relief, and МИКОЛА / ХВИЛЬОВИЙ (Mykola / Khvylovy), the artist’s pseudonym in smooth letters. To the left of the portrait are the years of the artist’s birth and death – 1893 / 1933.