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The River Dnipro (formerly better known by the Russian name of Dnieper) is intimately linked to the history and identity of Ukraine. Cybriwsky discusses the history of the river, from when it was formed and its many uses and modifications by human agencies from ancient times to the present. From key vantage points along the river's course – its source in western Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea – interesting stories shed light on past and present life in Ukraine. Scenes set along the river from Russian and Ukrainian literature are evoked, as well as musical compositions and works of art. Topics include the legacy of the region's cultural ancestors as the Kyivan Rus, the period of Cossack dominion, the epic battles for the river's bridges in World War II, the building of dams and huge reservoirs by the Soviet Union, and the crisis of Chornobyl (Chernobyl). The author argues that the Dnipro and the farmlands along it are Ukraine's chief natural resources, and that the country's future depends on putting both to good use.
Written without academic pretence in an informal style with dashes of humor, Along Ukraine's River is illustrated with original line drawings, maps, and photographs.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Chapter 1: A National River
Chapter 2: A Work of Nature and the Works of Men
Chapter 3: A Winding Course through History
Chapter 4: Soviet River: From DniproHES to Chornobyl
Chapter 5: The River’s Health
Chapter 6: Kyiv—Whose Ukraine?
Chapter 7: Around the Kremenchuk Sea
Chapter 8: At the Great Bend of the Dnipro
Chapter 9: Zaporizhia and Dnipro (City)—Ukraine Reclaimed
Chapter 10: Down the Lower Course
Chapter 11: Some Thoughts About Ukraine
Bibliography
Index
Roman Adrian Cybriwsky is senior professor of Geography and Urban Studies. He has been at Temple University since 1972, and for many years was dean at the university's campus in Tokyo, Japan. He is the author of Kyiv, Ukraine: The City of Domes and Demons from the Collapse of Socialism to the Mass Uprising of 2013-2014 (Amsterdam University Press, 2014).
"Cybriwsky's book is a passionate plea for a sound environmental policy, ecological education, and development of tourism on and around the river, which is so 'wonderfully positioned to show off the country's scenery, history, culture, and cities.' He is confident that 'Ukraine's future is tied closely to the future of Ukraine's River' and that Ukraine's professed European course cannot be achieved without adopting European standards of air and water quality, recycling, pollution control, and responsible ecological behavior. Considering both the practical and symbolic significance of the Dnipro for Ukraine and Ukrainians, restoring the river, the author argues, 'should become a national crusade.' The book is really a pioneer work on the topic, and can be praised as informative, competent, well-structured, and wellstocked with apt facts and interpretations of rather complex phenomena and developments. It could serve as a valuable reference book or even a guidebook. The author, a professor of geography and urban studies at Temple University, is well aware of the complexity of the genre that he has chosen, and of the high standards established by some of the authors he acknowledges in the preface."
– Transitions Online
