The original manuscript of the famed poem “Babi Yar” by Yevgeni Yevtushenko has been deposited for safe-keeping with the Jewish National and University Library here by the man who purchased it recently from a London gallery for $7600. The poem described the murder of Russian Jews in the Babi Yar ravine in the Uterine by the Nazis during World War II and protested the manner in which their deaths were subsequently ignored and forgotten by their fellow countrymen.
The poem bought fame to its author when it was first published in a Soviet literary magazine in 1961. But it was subsequently banned and has not been printed in Russia since then. The manuscript reached London under mysterious circumstances and was acquired by Soteby’s gallery. It was purchased at an auction by Leo Graham who decided that the safest and most appropriate place for it was the Jerusalem library. It will be put on public display shortly.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
