Cold Ravine

The “Non-Canonical Canon” series is a way to talk about all those we didn’t know, whose texts we read without understanding the context of their time. Here you’ll find a wide spectrum of Ukrainian authors and their works. Each text is accompanied by reading guides from Ukrainian literary scholars.

At the beginning of the 20th century an insurgent army formed in the Cherkasy region, which soon grew into the Cold Ravine Republic. Peasants and descendants of Cossacks united to keep both the Bolsheviks and the Denikin forces out of their territory. The armed resistance was so well organized that entire well-equipped divisions made up of local residents fought against the invaders.

Yurii Horlis-Horskyi was a participant in these events and described them in the novel Cold Ravine.

The author depicts armed clashes with the Reds, underground resistance, the dungeons of the Cheka, sabotage against the Soviet government, as well as the daily life of fighters — their courage, patriotism, relationships, adventures, humor and struggle to the very end.