Biography
Olena Rybka is the voice of today's Ukrainian literary tradition
Life and professional path
Born on September 9, 1984 in the village of Berezivka in Kharkiv Oblast, she showed an interest in words from an early age, which later turned into a multifaceted career in the literary, scientific and cultural spheres. Having received a professional philological education at the Kharkiv National Pedagogical University named after Hryhoriy Skovoroda, she focused on the study of Ukrainian spiritual and philosophical heritage, in particular the figure of Skovoroda in the work of the sixties — the topic of her dissertation under the supervision of Professor Leonid Ushkalov.
In 2011–2017, she was the deputy director for scientific work of the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Grigory Skovoroda, actively working on the popularization of his ideas. Her cultural activities in Kharkiv also covered the radio: the "Litreview" program on "UA: Suspilne" presented listeners with a lively and dynamic modern literary scene.
Editorial activity and influence on Ukrainian book publishing
Currently, she holds the position of deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing house "Vivat", one of the leading in the country. Olena not only oversees projects from Ukrainian fiction, but also edits books for children and about children, creating a high-quality cultural product for young readers.
Her editorial board participation covers publications by iconic authors of the modern Ukrainian scene: Tamara Gundorova, Ivan Andrusiak, Sashko Dermanskyi, Vakhtang Kipiani, Halyna Kruk, Ostap Slyvinsky, Iryna Slavinska and many others. An important publishing project was a collection of selected poetry by Volodymyr Vakulenko "I am changing...", which she completed after the poet's death.
Poetic creativity
As a poet, she works in the lyrical-intellectual direction, with a combination of philosophical depth, stylistic precision and inner sensitivity. Her works were published in the literary anthologies "Length in the Night", "Park of the Bitter Period" and were translated into Polish, which testifies to the interest in her poetry outside of Ukraine as well.
Contribution to culture
Olena Rybka is an example of a comprehensive cultural figure: she combines creative writing, editorial skill, research depth and active promotion activity. Her work supports and forms modern Ukrainian literary discourse, rooted in tradition, but facing the future.
Her contribution is a synthesis of poetic vision and literary organization of the world, in which the Ukrainian book becomes a powerful cultural factor.