Friends!

On this day 183 years ago, was born "Ukrainian George Sand," one of the most talented and mysterious Ukrainian writers Mark Vovchok! Her identity is still revered around the world, so in her honor today even Google made its doodle.

The real name of the author is Maria Vilinska. She was born in the Polish-Ukrainian noble family. She lived with her mother and stepfather, who was a drunkard and gambler. To make a girl live better, her mother sent her to a private boarding school in Kharkiv.

Mary was extremely beautiful girl. She met her future husband in Orel, where she lived with her aunt. He was Opanas Markovich from Poltava, he served his involvement because of the exile Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood there. Mary was only 17, her husband was 11 years older than her. He loved folklore - collected folk songs and customs. Maria also liked it, she began to write stories in Ukrainian. Her first works were criticized by the writer Panteleimon Kulish. He invented the pseudonym of the author - Mark Vovchok and issued her "People's stories," which immediately brought success to the writer.

She quickly gained popularity, particularly because of her mystery. Even her own portrait was concealed from the public until 1902. A special protectorate Marco Vovchok received from famous Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. He translated her works to Russian.

In spring 1859 Maria with her son Bogdan moved to Germany. Her husband Opanas, whom she did not really loved, as she admitted later, broke up with her. They lived apart, after 8 years, he died without seeing his loved ones.

Later, Maria received the glory of «femme fatale”. About her love stories gossiped whole of Europe. The daughter of Tolstoy wrote: "All men go crazy on her, Turgenev lies at her feet, Herzen came to her to Belgium, where he was nearly caught, Kulish broke up with wife because of her ." Stories of love the author were really tragic. Alexander Passek with which Mary lived six years in Paris, died in her arms of tuberculosis. Polish chemist Vladislav Olevinskyy shot himself because of tragic love to Vovchok. The last stroke to her image was the sudden death of journalist Dmitri Pisarev, who was not only a lover Marco Vovchok, but her second cousin.

But she was still looking for her love for the latter. And she found it, in the face of a naval officer Michael Zhuchenko-Lobach, who was 17 years younger. They even got married. Beloved supported her, despite the depression that she had after accusations in plagiarism, which she supposedly printed in her translations.

Marco died on the 10th of August, 1907 in the Caucasus, where her husband served. The reason of death of the famous Ukrainian writer was terrible - a brain tumor.

However, this mysterious person has left a special and immortal contribution to Ukrainian literature. For example, the story "Mary", which tells about a girl who dies, helping Cossacks, is recommended for compulsory reading in French schools.

"Mozart of love stories" - so she is called. Friends, I am sure, we need to remember such authors. It is very interesting to read her works. They are full of immortal folklore and that special love that could only be felt by Marco Vovchok.