Born in the Ivano-Frankivsk region into a priestly family Natalia, like many children of the Ukrainian intelligentsia of her time, received her education at home, studying Ukrainian, Polish, French, and German. Her literary career began in Vienna, but she soon returned to the region of Galicia, where she played a pioneering role in the women’s movement. She established the first women’s organisation, the ‘Society of Ukrainian (Ruthenian) Women’ and initiated the publication of ‘Pershyi Vinok’ (‘The First Wreath’, 1887), the first women’s almanack, which featured works by seventeen Ukrainian female writers from both Galicia and Dnipro in the Ukraine.

Recognising the need for women’s literature, she championed produced three issues of the ‘Women’s Library’ and championed the creation of publications for women. Her articles became foundational texts for the Ukrainian women’s movement, laying the groundwork for future advocacy and education.

Artist: Maria Chorna