Volodymyr Samiilenko

Volodymyr Ivanovych Samiilenko (Ukrainian: Володи́мир Іванович Самі́йленко; 3 February [O.S. 22 January] 1864 – 12 August 1925) was a Ukrainian poet, satirist, dramatist, and translator. Samiilenko was best noted as a satirist for his combination of poetry and political humour, and he was praised by intellectual leader Ivan Franko for his usage of lyricism.

Born in modern-day Poltava Oblast to a serf and a landowner, Samiilenko was a polyglot, and began his career in literature and translation while studying in gymnasium. While a student at Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev, Samiilenko became involved with several groups supporting the Ukrainian national revival. Although his works were barred from publication in the Russian Empire, they were frequently published in neighbouring Austria-Hungary, where they received critical acclaim. Samiilenko supported the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence and fled west to Poland after the Soviet advance, but returned to the country in the last year of his life.