The book by Ivan Monolaty, Head of the Department of Political Science, Professor of the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University, “The Performer of the Word. Yakiv Orenstein. Ukrainian Publisher at the Crossroads of Cultures, Ideologies and Politics” (Kyiv, 2025) was included in the top “Leaders of Summer 2025” of the All-Ukrainian rating “Book of the Year 2025” (nomination “Past”). The head of the rating, Kostyantyn Rodyk, announced this.
The main character of this biography is Yakiv Orenstein, the son of the Book people, the child of a traveling salesman and a Jewish highlander.
His life and work spanned several states – the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires, the Ukrainian and Western Ukrainian People’s Republics, the Weimar Republic, the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Third Reich.
For his publishing activities, he became a hostage of the Russian occupation regime: he was declared a spy, accused of political unreliability and treason.
Ya. Orenstein collaborated with Ukrainian emigration institutions, bought airplanes for the UNR, was a diplomatic advisor and mediator between the Ukrainian Higher Education Institution and Jewish international organizations, and supported the idea of creating a Ukrainian university.
However, he contributed most to the promotion of Ukrainian books in the world of that time as the founder and owner of the Kolomyia “Halytska nakladna” and the Berlin “Ukrainian nakladna”.
Even during his lifetime, Yakov Orenstein became a living legend. About the book, Ivan Monolatiy invites the reader on a journey through time to discover the life story of Yakov Orenstein – a publisher who not only published printed texts, but also changed the cultural landscape.
“The Executor of the Word” is not only a biography, but also a large-scale study of a man who, finding himself at the crossroads of empires, languages, and political ideas, became a bridge between them. The secrets of the archives come to life in this book, and fragments of history are assembled into an incredible mosaic. From the narrow streets of Kolomyia to the diplomatic halls of Berlin, from publications that shaped national consciousness to espionage accusations and persecutions – the fate of J. Orenstein resembles an action-packed novel. Is it possible to remain true to yourself when states, borders, and even languages are changing around you?