Journalism of Yulian Tarnovich in the Nash Lemko newspaper

Abstract

The article examines the work of Yulian Tarnovich in the Nash Lemko newspaper (Lviv, 1934–1939), where he was both a contributor and the editor. As the article shows, Tarnovich primarily focused on the most sensitive economic sides the Lemko life. Trying to find the cause of the economic troubles of the Beskids Ukrainian population, Tarnovich proposed a well-designed program for the economic transformation of the mountainous territories. In particular, he emphasized the need for an active attitude to life, the introduction of rational management, and the cultivation of solidarist values among the Rusins. According to Tarnovich, the socio-economic problems could be solved together with cultural and educational enlightment, focused on the permanent fight against mass illiteracy both among children and adults. Tarnovich was also concerned with the moral and ethical climate of the Lemko village, affected by the modernization brought by WWI and the post-war structure of the world. Struggling against the penetration of then-fashionable communist ideology, sectarian beliefs and many bad habits into the Lemko houses, Tarnovich simultaneously popularized new social practices. He frequently addressed the popular feminist issues, interpreting them in lines with the cult of the Mother, traditional for Ukrainians. The article concludes that the activism and solidarity promoted by Tarnovich turned out to be in demand for the Lemkos on the eve of the trials brought by WWII and subsequent mass expulsion from their native lands.