Daryna is 84 and lives a solitary life in a six-room apartment in the center of Kyiv. Roland is 79 but continues working at a university. They are not just a brother and sister; they are the last living grandchildren of the famous writer Ivan Franko.
A political prisoner and a visionary poet, Franko left a compelling legacy: hundreds of literary works, four children and seven grandchildren. His famous surname hung over the children who carried on writing poetry and novels. His grandchildren were under less pressure and some gravitated to adjoining humanitarian disciplines.
Daryna worked as a sub-editor in a publishing house but after retirement disappeared off the public radar. She came to light when she ran afoul of Kyiv municipal authorities for being unable to pay for utilities. After her famous surname helped her to write off the debt, she went into hiding again.
The last time Daryna spoke with Roland was a while ago.
Unlike most of his siblings, he didn’t tie himself to the arts.
“I never thought I need to follow Ivan Franko’s way only because I belong to his family,” says Franko. “My mom used to say that Franko had already written everything, so I had nothing to do with literature.”
Roland comes through as a friendly grey-haired man with bright eyes. His voice is soft; his speech is slow but engaging. Remembering his years in the foreign service, he says that he never used his grandfather’s fame for any purpose.
For him and his two sisters, life started in Lviv, where they lived in the writer’s home, which is now a museum.
Roland was studying oil and gas in Lviv University when authorities offered them a large flat by the opera house in Kyiv in exchange for their family mansion. When they moved, Roland chose to study mining at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
“Perhaps this is the only thing that links me to my grandfather,” he says smiling, “Ivan Franko loved writing about miners and diggers.”
After graduating in 1954, Roland got a job in the oil and gas ministry but then moved to the science institute of metallurgy and farming where he worked for more than 30 years.
When the Soviet Union fell apart, 60-year-old Franko got an invitation to become a science adviser in the Ukrainian embassy in the U.K.
“Someone from the Foreign Ministry recommended him to me,” remembers Serhiy Komisarenko, who was the ambassador in London at that time. “I didn’t really need a consultant, but there was a position, which Franko fit well. He was also responsible for contacting Ukrainian diaspora, and for them Roland’s family name meant a lot.”
Learning English on the job, Roland moved to London and got involved with an Antarctic station Faraday, which British authorities had to sell.
“When countries already represented in the Antarctic agreed to reduce the number of stations owned by one country to five, Great Britain sent out the letters to the Embassies about selling its sixth station,” remembers Franko.
Despite skepticism and little state funding regarding such purchase, Franko responded to the letter and invited the British Foreign Office to visit Ukraine. After that visit, the Faraday complex was renamed after Professor Volodymyr Vernadsky and transferred to Ukraine in 1996, allegedly free of charge.
“Franko was responsible for negotiations with the British Antarctic Office,” remembers the former ambassador, adding that “Franko is a great and very nice person.”
Franko warms us remembering about the Antarctic negotiations: “I was mailed a photograph of the team, the English flag and our flag and a note saying ‘To the godfather.’”
He’s less excited talking about his sister.
“We live separately for more than 30 years now,” he says with a deep sigh, “she calls sometimes, but…”
When it comes to politics, he doesn’t show support for any parties, stressing that presidents should pay more attention to the cultural and educational aspects of policy. He regrets hearing “only Russian language” on television.
“It was Ivan Franko, who said that the country’s economy won’t develop unless there is national growth,” says Roland. “I expect Ukraine to follow the right path, as almost everything has been done for that.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Alyona Zhuk can be reached at [email protected].
