Literature and books of all kinds are sacred for many Ukrainians, as their language was banned on their land for centuries by imperialist policies designed to eradicate their national identity. Ukrainians did not give up, instead working with diaspora communities to produce books that would document their culture and quest for freedom. Being aesthetically inclined, Ukrainians viewed book covers as art, and many of the finest examples have been documented in archives available publicly. I have selected a few designs to create souvenirs of this noble effort. This mug honors a book published in 1972 in NYC titled I PRAISE ILLUSION by MARTA TARNAVS’KA. The cover design was done by famed Ukrainian artist Akib (Jacques) HNIZDOVSKY. Bring a splash of Ukrainian history home and help support a cultural revival.
