About Ukrainian poetess Olena Teliga (Shovhenova), we know very little. For a long time her name was buried with the body in a mass grave, hidden under Soviet ideological restrictions and controls, unfair erased from people's memory. Only now emerge from the darkness of some facts of her life, detectable lost poems back deserved honor. Meanwhile, what about her as a person? Perhaps the first remarkable that passionate patriot and defender of the state, a huge poetic talent, it is known the most important thing - love for people and love for man.
She was lucky. In her short but bright path met the love - real, deep. Haired young girl from educated families attracted people to him and the sparkling green-eyed gaze and tireless nature. Teliha had an amazing ability to charm all just by the fact of its occurrence. Before the war, one emigre magazine in Poland gave her caricature with the caption: "And for me go young boys herd!". She is angry - not for the "herd boys" but because it painted crooked hat, and she wore it like a real warshavian! So are some emerald charms and was amazed and high youth of Kuban, who skillfully played the bandura, Michael Teliha - the future husband of the poet. They met at a concert in the Student House in Prague in December 1924. And yet Helen spoke Russian, and, perhaps, would have continued if students Podyebradska economic Academy, where her father taught not undertaken to examine the girl in Ukrainian. «The most persistent was a man from kuban, bandura player Michael Teliha" - later testified Natalia Livytsky cold.
Meeting with Michael Teliha changed the lives of Elena forever. It was he who made it such that it has entered into history - irreconcilable patriot, a talented poet. August 1, 1926 the couple embarked on a towel. The wedding took place in the evangelical church in the Orthodox rite, and the wedding the young bride dancing Cossack. "This man shared" Kozak "young, slim pair was the spectacle that it can not so easily forget!" - Wrote girlfriend Helen Zoe Plitas. The way they danced the dance, the couple went throughout life.
1929 Michael graduated from the Ukrainian Academy of business, winning engineer profession forester. In the autumn of that year, the couple moved to Warsaw. Poland Teliha greeted coldly. The work was hard to find. It began emigrant life "homeless vagrants" with daily search for work ... They will be done easily. Michael will earn after the work of engineer-surveyor in Zelazny Zhondovi. When his wife was not possible to teach, her husband sang to the accompaniment of the bandura in restaurants and cabarets. Helen had to try yourself in the role of fashion models, to get a penny. Turning to her husband, she watched in the future: "Do not blooming geraniums on the window - a symbol of quiet sleepy routine. We always are on the brink of the unknown paths of the future. "
In 1939 in Krakow this way crossed paths with old friends Oleg Kandyba-Olzhych - famous poet and scholar, public and political figure, one of the leaders of the national movement. The conversation with him was the determinant in the fate of the couple, because that was when Elena and Michael took up active work in the UNO. They wrote texts and distributed leaflets, proclamations constituted.
But though they were living rough in Krakow, Helen is strongly attracted to the city of his youth - in Kyiv. In July 1941, as part of one of the original group along with Helen writer Ulas Samchuk Xiang moved and went to the city, and already on October 22 came to Kyiv. So her dream come true. Only in November 1941 after Michael and his wife came to Kyiv occupied by the Germans. The couple immediately rushed to build public and political life in the city. Helen was elected member of the Ukrainian National Council, she led the Union of Ukrainian writers. In all its supported her constant support and protection - husband Michael.
And it failed to protect Elena last. In December 1941, the Germans arrested the members of the editorial board of "Ukrainian word." Writers' Union is working. Helen warned of possible arrest, but she flatly refused to leave Kyiv. "I am not going Kyiv again, because it will be a betrayal of itself" - explained Elena. Germans staged ambushes since the morning. In the room could go, but it was not allowed to leave. Fatal February 9, 1942 Elena Teliha went as usual to the Union of Writers. An hour later, there also came and Michael Teliha knowing that it is also arrested. When the Germans saw that all came together, 15 hours out of the ambush and ordered: "He who is not member of the Union may leave the premises." Michael did not come out, but slipped one of the writers. All those arrested were taken to the Gestapo casemates on street Korolenko, 33, which then housed the KGB (now SBU). Interrogated Michael and Helen Teligi, I. Irlyavskoho, A. Chemerinski, I. stag and many others.
They were loyal to each other in life, they remained faithful in death. February 21, 1942 at Babi Yar Teliha Helen and Michael, along with other leaders of the OUN shot by the Nazis. Online today their graves, but left their memory, their life and struggle. Their feat, literary and patriotic, engraved in books, intelligence studies. Each year, Ukrainian held worldwide evenings memory of the poet, monuments established in her honor. In the student KPI our park, where youth was Helen, will be a monument in her honor - the honor of a man who knew how to live, work and love.