Ivan Malovichko — Ukrainian Futurist Poet, Representative of the Executed Renaissance

Early Years
Ivan Kyrylovych Malovichko was born on April 27, 1909, in the village of Vereshchaky, Lysianka District, Cherkasy Region. He completed primary school and worked as an elementary school teacher in the village of Radchykha, Katerynoslav County, in the Uman region. However, life as a rural teacher did not satisfy his ambitions — he was drawn to poetry, art, and cinema.

Education and Move to Odesa
A turning point came in 1928. In the summer, Malovichko left his native village and moved to Odessa. In August, he enrolled in the Odessa State Cinematography Technical School (VUFKU) in the screenwriting department. This marked the beginning of his active creative career.

Literary career
In 1928, Ivan Malovichko began contributing to the futurist journal Nova Generatsiya, where his poem Cordillera was published for the first time. Later, his poetry regularly appeared in Nova Generatsiya and Vsesvit. He became one of the authors of the Avant-garde Almanac of Proletarian Artists of the New Generation, edited by Heo Shkurupiy.

A significant influence on Malovichko’s development as a poet was Mykhailo Semenko, a leading figure in Ukrainian futurism, who highly appreciated Malovichko’s work.

After the closure of Nova Generatsiya, Malovichko was drafted into the Red Army. According to his own account, he served on the Finnish border. After demobilization, he returned to Kharkiv, rejoining the circle of futurists and close associates of Mykhailo Semenko.

During his short life, Ivan Malovichko produced a significant literary output, including:

Shefi. Poem (1930)
Heads on Shoulders (1930)
Socialist Spring. Poem (1930)
Across the Seas (1931)
In the Book, There Is Language About the Assault Night (1932)
Morein from Komi (1934)
From the History of Odessa Port (1935)
On the Border (1936)

In 1934, Malovichko became a member of the Union of Writers of Ukraine.

Odesa and Personal Life
In 1935, the poet returned to Odesa, working on essays such as From the History of Odessa Port.

It was in Odesa that he married student Zoya Zubkova. Their relationship began through secret correspondence, even though they lived practically in the same building: Malovichko rented a room in her parents’ house. Notes were left under pillows or in clothing pockets. Zubkova later played a crucial role in preserving his archive — manuscripts, letters, and photographs.

Arrest and Repressions
On September 21, 1937, Ivan Malovichko was arrested in Kharkiv, at the “Slovo” writers’ house. He was transferred to Kyiv for investigation. He was accused of participating in an “anti-Soviet Ukrainian nationalist organization,” allegedly involving Mykhailo Semenko. During interrogations, Malovichko strongly denied the charges.

On November 17, 1937, the “troika” of the Kyiv Regional NKVD sentenced him to execution. The sentence was carried out on November 26, 1937, in Kyiv. Malovichko was buried in a mass grave in Bykivnia Forest.

Legacy
After Stalin’s death, the Union of Writers of Ukraine petitioned for a review of the case. On March 15, 1957, the military tribunal of the Kyiv Military District annulled the sentence and closed the case due to lack of evidence of a crime.

Despite his rehabilitation, Ivan Malovichko’s work remained largely forgotten for a long time: his books were removed from libraries and destroyed, and his literary legacy still requires thorough study and reintegration into cultural circulation.

Зоя Зубкова, Михайль Семенко, Іван Маловічко в кабінеті Михайля Семенка у харківському будинку “Слово”. 21 червня 1935 р.