99 years of Berdnyk: how the dissident-futurist predicted the future of Ukraine

On November 27, we celebrate the 99th anniversary of the birth of Oles Pavlovych Berdnyk. The Ukrainian writer was born on November 27, 1926, in the village of Vavylyv, Mykolaiv district of Mykolaiv region, and died on March 18, 2003, in the village of Hrebeni, Obukhiv district of Kyiv region. Berdnyk was known as a science fiction writer, futurist, public figure, dissident, human rights activist, and founding member of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group, writing his works in the Ukrainian language.

Throughout his life, Berdnyk wrote more than 20 novels and stories, starting with the first collection of science fiction stories and novellas 'Beyond Time and Space', which was published in 1957. In his works, he viewed humanity as a 'cosmic being' that is a citizen of the entire Universe. Berdnyk hoped for the unification of all nations and ethnicities on equal terms for the future of humanity, combining cosmopolitan ideas with a Ukrainian and Kyiv inclination.

Oles Pavlovych Berdnyk left his mark on world literature and culture, considering and offering his unique views on the future of humanity and the cosmos.