Les Podervianskyi

Les Podervianskyi (Oleksandr "Les'" Serhijovyč Poderv"jans'kyj, ˈlɛsj poderˈwjɑnsjkɪj; born 1952 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian painter, poet, playwright and performer. He is most famous for his absurd, highly satirical, and at times obscene short plays. Their average duration is five to fifteen minutes, with some exceptions. Podervianskyi has a cult following among Kyiv intellectuals. In 1968 he graduated from the Republican Art School in Kyiv. In 1976 he graduated from the Kyiv Art Institute (specialty: easel and monumental painting, graphics, theatrical painting). Podervianskyi wrote most of his works in the Soviet Union in the mid to late 1980s, a time of stagnation in politics and social life—the era of "zastoy" and the time of rapid changes in consciousness. He observed the people in that situation, their reactions and behaviour. And most thoroughly he watched the speech patterns of outsiders and commoners, people from the country. The author places common people in grotesque absurd situations and shows how they would act and speak much the same regardless of what happens. Podervianskyi's works are highly regarded owing to his attention to detail. Many behavioural modes are easily recognizable, and people are able to recognize themselves in the plays. The general absurdity of the situation makes the characters' absurd actions more acceptable, and although certain phrases the author uses are politically incorrect, his humour is generally neutral. Podervianskyi says he draws a lot of his inspiration from the years of his army service. There is also an opinion that his plays are in some way inspired by works of Samuel Beckett. This writer was favorite also for his friend artist Nicholas Zalevsky. Member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1980. Podervianskyi's works have often been criticized because of his use of vulgar unprintable language. They are written mostly in Surzhyk and include much swearing and obscenities, which make them appear as if they were composed by an uneducated person.