Odesa is a UNESCO City of Literature
“Odessa has a population of one hundred and thirty-three thousand, and is growing faster than any small city outside America. Odesa is an open port and the largest grain market in Europe. Having stepped ashore, I stepped onto the Odessa bridge, and for the first time after a long break I finally felt completely at home.”
Mark Twain
“Simpletons Abroad, or the Path of New Pilgrims” (1867)
The history of Odessa is the history of a multicultural, multinational and cosmopolitan city with a rich literary heritage. The works of Odessa authors have been translated into many languages of the world. At different times, writers known today throughout the world lived, inspired and worked in Odessa.
Alexander Pushkin was exiled to the city for anti-tsarist activities and dedicated one of the chapters of Eugene Onegin to Odesa. In 1850, Nikolai Gogol worked here on Dead Souls. Odesa is also associated with periods in the lives and creative work of Ivan Kotliarevsky, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Ivan Bunin, Vladimir Jabotinsky, Ivan Franko, Anna Akhmatova, Mykola Kulish, Georges Simenon, and many others. The London Hotel in Odesa hosted notable guests such as Anton Chekhov, Robert Louis Stevenson, Louis Aragon, and Elsa Triolet.
In 2019, Odesa was officially recognized as a UNESCO Creative City in the "Literature" category, marking a significant cultural achievement. This recognition highlighted the city's rich literary heritage, which has been shaped over more than 100 years by the remarkable talents of Odesa’s writers, poets, and playwrights. The legends of Odesa, its port atmosphere, architectural masterpieces, and unique humor have become part of the world’s literary heritage. UNESCO’s recognition underscores Odesa’s important role in global culture and literature. The city is part of UNESCO’s Literary Cities network, which today includes 52 cities from 37 countries worldwide.
Notable Writers Born or Active in Odesa
Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855)
The world-renowned Polish Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz spent several months in Odesa. He was appointed as a linguistics lecturer at the Richelieu Lyceum, received a salary, but never actually taught. During his time in the city, he wrote the famous Odesa Sonnets and part of the Crimean Sonnets. The collection sparked a strong reaction among readers.
Mendele Mocher Sforim (1836–1917)
An outstanding Jewish writer who, by the end of his life, had gained an unofficial status as a classic and a founder of modern Jewish literature. From 1881 onwards, he lived and worked in Odesa, greatly influencing many contemporaries, particularly the famous writer Sholem Aleichem. Mendele Mocher Sforim ("Mendele the Bookseller") wrote in Yiddish but later translated his works into Hebrew, making an invaluable contribution to both languages.
Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916)
Sholem Aleichem, born Sholem Rabinovich, first used his famous pen name in 1883. He lived in Odesa from October 1891 to May 1893, working actively with local newspapers Odeskiy Listok (Odesa Leaflet) and Odeskiye Novosti (Odesa News). During this period, he published poems, fairy tales, and the first version of his novel Menakhem-Mendl. He also unsuccessfully dabbled in stock market speculations. Sholem Aleichem wrote predominantly in Yiddish, and critics called him the "Jewish Mark Twain." When the two writers met, Mark Twain humorously remarked that he considered himself the "American Sholem Aleichem."
Lesia Ukrainka (1871–1913)
Lesia Ukrainka visited Odesa between 1888 and 1913 while undergoing treatment for tuberculosis at the Hadzhibey mud resort. She admired the city and dedicated poems to it, which were included in her poetry collection Journey to the Sea.
Konstantin Paustovsky (1892–1968)
During his lifetime, Konstantin Paustovsky’s works were translated into 68 languages—essentially all major world languages. In the 20th century, the total circulation of his books reached 70 million copies. According to researchers, his books were published 600 times across five continents. In the 1960s, a five-volume collection of his works was published in Munich, with a foreword by Heinrich Böll.
Isaac Babel (1894–1940)
For his collection of short stories Red Cavalry, Isaac Babel was persecuted for four years, as the realism of his descriptions did not align with Soviet propaganda. The vivid characters of Odessa Stories—notorious smugglers and adventurers of the Moldavanka district—became a literary hallmark of Odessa. Babel masterfully combined humor and tragedy in his works. Ernest Hemingway considered Babel’s style even more concise than his own. Jorge Luis Borges wrote:
"The music of his style contrasts with the almost unspeakable brutality of certain scenes. One of his stories—Salt—has achieved a level of fame typically reserved for poetry, something rarely attained by prose: many people know it by heart."
Ilya Ilf (1897–1937)
and Yevgeny Petrov (1902–1942)
Both satirical writers were born in Odessa. Both lived for only 39 years. Their most famous novel, The Twelve Chairs, has been adapted into films 22 times by 15 different countries between 1933 and 2016. Among the countries that created adaptations are Poland, Czechoslovakia, the UK, Germany, the USA, Sweden, Brazil, Cuba, the USSR, Italy, France, Austria, Iran, and Lithuania.
Valentin Kataev (1897–1986)
A writer, playwright, and journalist, Kataev's novel Lonely White Sail became a classic of literature for both children and adults. He was also one of the founders of the renowned literary magazine Yunost (Youth).
Yury Olesha (1899–1960)
The author of the novel Envy and many outstanding plays and short stories, Olesha had a unique ability to capture the psychology of his characters. He frequently explored themes of social conflict. His novel was inspired by L'Envie (Envy), a work by the French writer Eugène Sue, one of the pioneers of the sensational crime genre in popular literature. Envy received a favorable review from Vladimir Nabokov and others.
Oleksandr Kuprin (1870–1938)
A prolific novelist and short-story writer, best known for The Garnet Bracelet. During his time in Odesa, Kuprin wrote Gambrinus, published in 1907, which made a local beer hall famous among writers and journalists. In a way, Gambrinus can be considered a precursor to the first literary cafés of the 1920s.
Odessa has always been a crossroads of cultures and ideas, a city where artists from all over the world found inspiration for their work. It is more than just a geographical location; it is a cultural phenomenon with an endless capacity to inspire.
