Tobilevich Ivan Karpovych

(pseudonym Karpenko-Kary)
(1845–1907)
Ukrainian playwright, actor, director and theater worker

Ivan Tobilevych (Karpenko-Kary) was born on 17 (29) September 1845 in the village of Arsenivka (now Novomyrhorod district, Kirovohrad region) and died on 2 (15) September 1907 in Berlin. An outstanding actor, playwright, one of the luminaries of Ukrainian professional theater. He began his theatrical career in amateur groups, working as a clerk and court secretary in Bobrynka.

In 1865, together with M. Kropyvnytskyi, he organized a theater group in Yelisavethrad. In the 70s of the nineteenth century he became interested in political activity, promoting revolutionary ideology. In the fall of 1883, he was arrested and exiled to Novocherkassk under police supervision in 1884. Three years later, he returned to his homeland, and for two years he lived on the Nadiia farm without the right to leave it without permission. Ivan Karpenko gradually improved his literary skills as a critic. Since the 80s, I. Karpenko-Kary became a famous playwright. He has 18 completed plays to his credit.

Among the leading themes of his drama are historical: "Bondarivna," "A Bad Spark Will Burn a Field," "Savva Chaly" and comedy: his "Martin Borulia," "One Hundred Thousand," and "The Host" are classics of world drama. Ivan Karpovych was a talented actor, performing in the troupes of M. Starytskyi, M. Sadovskyi, and P. Saksahanskyi. The 64 main, full-scale images he created were striking in their depth and perfection. Over the years of playing on the professional stage, he created a whole gallery of vivid images, including: Vyhovskyi (Bohdan Khmelnytskyi based on the play of the same name by M. Starytskyi), Voznyi (Natalka Poltavka by I. Kotliarevsky); the heroes of his own plays - Martyn Borulya from the comedy of the same name, Tereshko Surma ("The Hustle"), Ivan ("The Talentless"), Grandfather Miller ("The Hireling"), Potocki ("Savva Chaly"), Herasym Kalytka ("One Hundred Thousand"), Terenty Puzyr ("The Master"), and others. He was also a well-known theater specialist who, together with P. Saksahanskii, created a school for training actors of social and psychological theater. I. Franko wrote that I. Karpenko-Kary was "one of the fathers of the Ukrainian theater of modern times, an outstanding actor and, moreover, a great playwright, whose equal is not known in our literature."

Karpenko-Kary died in Berlin while undergoing treatment. He was buried in the Korliuhiv cemetery near the village of Nadiya.