Yurii Ivanovych Yanovskyi was a Ukrainian writer, prose author, playwright, and poet.

Early Years and Literary Beginnings
He was born on 27 August 1902 in the village of Maierove, Kherson Governorate (today Nechaivka, Kompaniivka district, Kropyvnytskyi region). Yanovskyi began his literary career with poetry—first in Russian (1922), then in Ukrainian (1924). Critics took notice after the publication of his collection of short stories and novellas “Mammoth Tusks” (1925).

Odesa and Work at the Film Studio
In 1926, Yanovskyi arrived in Odesa, where he spent two years as chief editor at the Odesa film studio of VUFKU—the most influential film studio of its time. The Black Sea city and the atmosphere of the burgeoning film industry greatly inspired his creativity.

During his time at the studio, he contributed to several films, including “Hamburg” and “Fata Morgana,” and wrote the novella “Baigorod,” the maritime poetry collection “The Beautiful UT,” the historical novel “Four Sabres,” and the autobiographical metafictional novel “The Master of the Ship.”

“The Master of the Ship”
Yanovskyi’s novel “The Master of the Ship” is largely autobiographical; most characters have real-life prototypes. It absorbed his two-year experience at the Odesa film studio and reflected the city’s realities in the late 1920s. The novel was first published in Kharkiv in 1928.

Yanovskyi wrote humorously about the city:
“Odesans are a fiery and sympathetic people. Above all, they love Odesa… The land of cheerful folk — that is Odesa.” (“Hollywood”)

“Riders” and Other Works
Odesa and the cinematic environment played a crucial role in Yanovskyi’s artistic evolution. His best-known work is the novellistic novel “Riders” (1935), a heroic-romantic epic about the events of the Civil War. He gathered material for the novel in 1932 together with playwright Mykola Kulish in the steppes of Tavria. His earlier war novel “Four Sabres” was criticized for glorifying Ukrainian nationalism, but in “Riders” he successfully merged romantic imagery with acceptable ideological narratives.

Notable plays by Yanovskyi include “Conquerors” (1932), the tragedy “Ballad of the British Woman” (1938), “Descendants” (1940), and “The Prosecutor’s Daughter” (1954).