Scholars and curators reveal stories behind the Library’s oldest Slavic manuscript.

The 14th-century liturgical book The Prayerbook of Great Prince Volodymyr is not only the oldest Slavic manuscript held in the Library, it is the second oldest East Slavic Cyrillic manuscript in any U.S. public collection. Handwritten on parchment by one person, it is named after one of Ukraine's most legendary figures: Volodymyr the Great, a Ukrainian prince, who after converting to Christianity, brought the religion to the Kyivan Rus' region. Pace University professor Andriy Danylenko discusses the manuscript with the Library’s Curator for Slavic and East European Collections, Bogdan Horbal.

The talk will also include brief presentations by Hiba Abid, Curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, who will discuss a portion of the text written in Arabic script, and scholar Edward Kasinec, former curator of the Library’s Slavic and Baltic Division, who originally acquired the manuscript.

To join | Please register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open around 1:30 PM. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Andriy Danylenko is a full professor in the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures at Pace University in New York, associate at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Distinguished Professor at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (Ukraine), member of the board of directors of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in the U.S., and full member of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. He authored books and articles in the field of Slavic linguistics, history of Ukrainian, Semitic studies, and others. He lectured at dozens of universities across the world, including Canada, U.S., Norway, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, and Ukraine. He is the founding editor of the book series Studies in Slavic, Baltic, and Eastern European Languages and Cultures (Lexington Books-Rowman & Littlefield). He has a PhD from the Peoples’ Friendship University (Moscow).

Bogdan Horbal is the curator for Slavic and East European collections. In this capacity he oversees the development of collections in vernacular languages, provides reference assistance to researchers and does outreach to the scholarly world. Horbal has written many works on Lemkos, a small ethnic group in Poland. His PhD in history is from the University of Wrocław in Poland and his MLS is from Queens College, CUNY.

Hiba Abid is an art historian, codicologist of Arabic manuscripts, and is currently the Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at The New York Public Library. Hiba taught courses on Islamic manuscripts and material culture at New York University’s Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts. She has also worked as an Associate Researcher at the National Library of France, and curated exhibitions at the Louvre Museum, the Musée des Augustins, and Le 32bis: Center for Contemporary Art in Tunis. She studied Art history and archeology at the Sorbonne and received her PhD in Islamic Art history, codicology and philology from the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris.

Edward Kasinec holds graduate degrees from Columbia University (M.A., 1968, M.Phil.,1979), and Simmons College (M.L.S., 1976). In addition, Kasinec has been awarded a Certificate in Archival Studies from American University (l971), as well as a Certificate in Appraisal Studies (Fine and Decorative Arts, 2010) from New York University. His professional career includes service as Reference Librarian/Archivist for the Harvard University Library and the Ukrainian Research Institute Library (1973–80); Librarian for Slavic Collections, University of California, Berkeley, Library (1980–84); and Curator, Slavic and Baltic Division, The New York Public Library (1984–2009). Kasinec has published more than 200 refereed articles and books and has been acknowledged in as many academic publications. 

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

CONNECT

For questions and inquiries, please email publicprograms@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

Please submit press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

The New York Public Library's free services and resources are made possible thanks to the support of the Friends of the Library. Join this group of Library lovers and take advantage of special membership benefits, like invitations to members-only virtual events, discounts at the Library Shop, and more. Join now.

Courtesy Andriy Danylenko
Courtesy Bogdan Horbal
Courtesy Hiba Abid
Courtesy Edward Kasinec