The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1964, Page 47

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
45
A Distinguished Ukrainian Canadian
Visits Iceland
Professor J. B. Rudnyckyj
On his route to Europe in the sum-
mer of 1964 Professor J. B. Rudnyckyj,
head of the Department of Slavic
Studies at the University of Manitoba
and President of the Ukrainian Free
Academy of Sciences—UVAN of Can-
ada, Inc. stopped off in Reykjavik,
Iceland. As far as is known he is the
first Ukrainian-Canadian man of let-
ters to visit Iceland.
In Reykjavik Professor Rudnyckyj
paid an official visit to the National
Library of Iceland where he was rece-
ived by the then National Librarian,
Dr. Finnur Sigmundsson, Dr. Stein-
grimur J. Thorsteinsson and others.
He presented the Library with some
recent publications of the Ukainian
Free Academy of Sciences. He also
brought to Iceland the first Ukrainian
study of the Icelandic people ‘“Islan-
dija islandci” written by the late Pro-
fessor O. Brodovskyj of Prague and
published in Ukrainian in Czechoslo-
vakia in 1932. The study will be micro-
filmed for documentation purposes in
the Library.
While in Reykjavik Professor Rud-
nyckyj paid a visit to the University
of Iceland. He was received by Hreinn
Benecliktsson, Chairman of the Faculty
of Philosophy. In the evening of Aug-
ust 17, a reception in honour of Pro-
fessor Rudnyckyj was held at Hotel
Saga, Dr. Benediktsson being the host.
Among other scholars the Professor
met an old friend Professor Sveinn
Bergsveinsson of Humbolt University
in Berlin, who was also visiting Ice-
land for study purposes. Some recent
publications in linguistics were pre-
sented to Professor Rudnyckyj as a
token of rememberance of Iceland.
On August 18 Professor Rudnyckyj
left Reykjavik by LoftleiSir.
Dr. Jaroslav Bohdan Rudnyckyj was
born in Western Ukraine (then part
of Poland) in 1910. He studied at the
University of LVIV from 1929 to 1937,
specializing in Slavic philosophy. He
received his M.A. in 1934 and Doctor
of Philosophy degree in 1937. He con-
tinued studies in Berlin, Munich,
Rome and Paris. Professor Rudnyckyj
migrated to Canada in 1949 and in
September of that year accepted the
position of Assistant Professor and