Raisa Petrivna Ivanchenko is a Ukrainian historian, writer, and journalist.
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on November 30, 1934, in the city of Hulyaypole.
In 1957, she graduated from the History Department of Kyiv University.
In 1967, she completed her graduate studies at the university and defended her master’s thesis on “Mykhailo Drahomanov’s Role in the Social and Political Movements of Russia and Ukraine in the Second Half of the 19th Century.”
Career
After graduating from college, she worked as a journalist.
From June through October 1957, she served as head of the information department at the editorial office of the newspaper *Molod Ukrainy*.
From 1957 to 1965, she worked in the international broadcasting department of “Ukrainian Radio.”
In 1966, she joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).
For her works on Dragomanov—in particular, the novella *Premonition of Spring* (1970), the monograph *Mykhailo Dragomanov in the Social and Political Movements of Russia and Ukraine* (1971), and the novel *The Oath* (1971)— she came under criticism from party and Soviet leadership.
Starting in 1967, she worked as a lecturer at Kyiv University:
- From 1967 to 1987, she served as an assistant, senior lecturer, and associate professor in the Department of Ukrainian History;
- From 1987 to 1993, she was an associate professor in the Department of the History of the Peoples of Russia.
She served as an associate professor beginning in 1994 and as a professor in the Department of Theory and History of Ukrainian Culture at the Kyiv Institute of Culture beginning in 1996.
Since 1996, she has served as a professor and chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Kyiv International University.
From 1994 to 1996, she headed the Kyiv Regional Organization of the All-Ukrainian “Prosvita” Society named after Taras Shevchenko.
In 1998, she became the head of the Charitable Brotherhood of Saint Princess Olga within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
Literary Work
The writer has been publishing her work since 1957. She is the author of a number of works, including:
- the books *The Oath* (1971), *Love Is Not Easy* (1976), *Don’t Lose Yourself* (1980), *Perun’s Wrath* (1982), *Golden Stirrups* (1984), “The City of Life and Death” (1986), and “Betrayal, or How to Become a Ruler” (1988).
- the historical novella *A Premonition of Spring* (1970) and the novel *The Oath* (1971), which recount the life and work of the publicist and historian Mykhailo Dragomanov;
- the short story and novella collections *Love Is Not Easy* (1976) and *Don’t Lose Touch with Yourself* (1980);
- a unique tetralogy dedicated to Kievan Rus’—the 1982 novel *The Wrath of Perun*,
“The Golden Stirrups” (1984), “Betrayal, or How to Become a Ruler” (1988), and “Poison for the Princess” (1995).
In the same issue, Ivanchenko is the author of the radio series “From the History of Ukrainian Statehood,” “History Without Myths,” and others. In particular, she has contributed to the creation of several historical documentary television films—“Dragomanov,” “Titan,” and “The History of the Black Sea Fleet.”
Awards
The author’s awards include:
- In 1996, she received the Shevchenko Prize for her tetralogy about Kievan Rus—*Betrayal, or How to Become a Ruler*, *The Wrath of Perun*, *The Golden Stirrups*, and *Poison for the Princess*.
- In 2004, she was awarded the Order of Merit, Third Class, and the Order of St. Barbara the Great Martyr;
- In 2007, she was awarded the Order of Merit, Second Class;
- has been awarded the “For Labor Valor” and “Veteran of Labor” medals;
- In 2022, she won the All-Ukrainian Literary and Artistic Award “Kyiv Book of the Year.”
Marital Status
She was married to Georgy Ivanov, a Candidate of Philosophical Sciences and associate professor at the Kyiv Pedagogical Institute. They had a daughter, Lyudmila.
