The 180th Anniversary of the Birth of Distinguished Bibliographer Mykhailo Komarov

23 january 2024 year

January 23, 2024 is the 180th anniversary of the birth of Mykhailo Fedorovych Komarov. Mykhailo Komarov is a bibliographer, ethnographer, folklorist, lexicographer, and the compiler of the first bibliographical index of works by Taras Shevchenko and works about him. He was a graduate of Kharkiv University.

Born in 1844 in Dniprovshchyna, Mykhailo attended the School of Law at Kharkiv University from 1863 to 1867. During his student years, he actively participated in public activities, worked as a teacher in the village of Havrylivka in Izium (now Izium district) in Kharkiv region, collected folklore materials, and conducted ethnographic research.

After completing university, he practiced law and worked as a notary in Kyiv and Uman. Mykhailo Fedorovych was an active member of the "Kyiv Community" and established a private library in Kyiv, from the proceeds of which he published a collection of works by Marko Kropyvnytsky.

From the summer of 1887 until the end of his life, Mykhailo Komarov lived and worked as a notary in Odesa. Besides his legal profession, he was actively involved in Ukrainian scientific, cultural, and spiritual life, taking part in the activities of the Odesa community "Hromada" and becoming one of the organizers and leaders of the Odesa community "Prosvita". Mykhailo Fedorovych was interested in Ukrainian theater, acting as a critic and reviewer, and wrote several popular science works, mostly about the history of Ukrainian Cossacks. He is also known as a publicist.

Throughout his life, he maintained friendly relations with many Ukrainian writers, scholars, and public figures, including Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Ivan Tobilevych, Mykhailo Starytsky, Boris Hrinchenko, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, Dmytro Yavornytsky, Agathangel Krymsky, Yevhen Chykalenko, and many others.

Mykhailo Komarov is one of the founders of Ukrainian bibliography. He began his bibliographical studies in Kyiv, becoming the first bibliographer of works by Taras Shevchenko and works about him. He viewed bibliography not only as a summary of already developed and published material necessary for various scientific disciplines and the dissemination of knowledge but also believed that bibliographic information is a source for reproducing an objective picture of the current state of science and culture.

Mykhailo Fedorovych became a pioneer in Ukrainian personal bibliography and Shevchenko studies. He also compiled personal bibliographical guides dedicated to the life and work of Petro Hulak-Artemovsky, Stepan Rudansky, Ivan Kotliarevsky, and Mykola Lysenko.

Through his diverse activities in the field of Ukrainian science and culture, Mykhailo Komarov made a significant contribution to Ukraine's cultural and national heritage.