Author Biography
Ahapii Shamrai (1896-1952) was a prominent figure in the new school of literary criticism, a Ukrainian literary historian, and a member of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (now known as the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine). After earning his degree from Kharkiv University in 1921, he taught Ukrainian literature at the Kharkiv Institute of Public Education, a school established by Soviet government following the University’s dissolution. His research primarily focuses on literary theory (problems of formal and sociological methods, elaboration of the concept of the “literary school”, reader reception of literary works, etc.) and comparative literature. He introduced the term “Kharkiv romantic school” to refer to the group of Ukrainian poets who were students and professors of the Kharkiv University in 1830-1840 and described their work in a three-volume collection of writings. His most well-known studies include essays honoring H. Kvitka, I. Kotliarevs’kyi, O. Storozhenko, T. Shevchenko, and others. With regards to European literature, he studied Shakespeare, Goethe, and E.T.A. Hoffmann.