On the initiative of professors of the Faculty of Foreign Languages supported by the Faculty of Philology in accordance with the decision of the Academic Council of the University an outstanding Slavic, recognized expert in the field of comparative literature, Ukrainian studies and intercultural communication Alois Woldan was awarded the title “Doctor Honoris Causa of Ivan Franko University of Lviv” on June 21, 2016.
During the solemn meeting of the Academic Council on the occasion of the University Day, which took place October 11, 2016, Rector Volodymyr Melnyk gave Alois Woldan the diploma of “Doctor Honoris Causa of Ivan Franko University of Lviv” for significant contribution to the study of Ukrainian literature and culture, popularization of Ukrainian studies in the world, development of cooperation between Ukraine and Austria in the field of education and science.
“This is a very important and exciting moment in my life. It is a great honor to receive this high distinction” said Alois Woldan and extended gratitude on the members of the Scientific Council for conferring the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of Lviv University.
Professor Alois Woldan noted that particularly enjoyable for him is that the Lviv University maintains close cultural and historical ties with Austria and is blessed by the name of Ivan Franko.
Doctor of Philology, Head of the Department of Intercultural Communication and Translation Professor Alla Paslavska reported on the scientific achievements of Prof. Alois Woldan.
“Among the numerous scientific researches of the scientist the works by Ivan Franko and Taras Shevchenko, Lesia Ukrainka and Olga Kobylianska Bohdan-Ihor Antonych can be named as the most important. Other important topics of his research are: Ukraine and Western culture, Ukrainian-Austrian literary contacts, cultural dimensions in Ukraine, the image of Mazepa in German literature, Lviv as a place of memories in Polish and Ukrainian literatures, intercultural relations and borderline dialogues in Galicia literature. Galician toponims as arguments in the debate about Ukrainian identity, Ukrainian Literature in Austrian POW camps during World War I”, named but few of the researcher’s interests Prof. Alla Paslavska.
The professor also emphasized that having independently mastered the Ukrainian language, Alois Woldan translated into German the collection of “The Last Territory” to open the German reader the name of Yuri Andrukhovych. In his “The Second Attempt. Ukrainian Literature of Today” he translated the works by contemporary Ukrainian artists Petrosanyak, Havryliv, Bilotserkivets, Zabuzhko, Zhadan Prokhasko and Riabchuk”, said Alla Paslavska.
Head of the Department of Intercultural Communication noted that the professor was the leader of trilateral (Germany-Austria-Switzerland) research project “Ukraine is the Region, the Nation and the Outside World” and member of the research project “Ukraine’s Reintegration into Europe”.
“As the Director of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the University of Vienna Prof. Alois Woldan is an active promoter of the Ukrainian language, literature and culture. Professor Woldan is also the head of 13 Austrian and Ukrainian language summer schools organized jointly by Lviv University and the University of Vienna” said Alla Paslavska focusing on cooperation with scientists of Lviv University.
Prof. Alla Paslavska gave an example that illustrates the professionalism of Alois Woldan as a scientist of Ukrainian and Franko studies: when in 2013 the discussion around the figure of Ivan Franko suddenly broke in Vienna, professor Woldan defended Ivan Franko and initiated an international scientific symposium “Ivan Franko and the Jewish Question in Galicia” with the participation of leading researchers of Ukrainian studies from Ukraine, Israel, Austria and the USA.
“It is easy to like Ivan Franko in Ukraine, but in some places in Europe you need to have sufficient scientific courage to (as Alois Woldan) stand up for Ivan Franko, involve fellow researchers, publish conference materials in German, and this year also in Ukrainian language, together with the Department of Intercultural Communication and Translation become co-Editor of the anthology Ivan Franko’s works in German and translate and one of the most penetrating of his stories “Odi Profanum Vulgus” in German”, summed up Professor Alla Paslavska.
According to the head of the Department of Intercultural Communication and Translation, quite symbolic is the fact that in the year of celebration of 160th anniversary of the birth and the 100th anniversary of the death of Ivan Franko, Lviv University honors its highest award to Viennese professor Alois Woldan who much of his academic life devoted to the works by Ivan Franko – the Patron of our University.
In his inaugural report Alois Woldan chose the topic related to the creativity of Ivan Franko: “The Tale by Ivan Franko “For the Home Hearth” In Comparative Eyes”.
The People’s Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine Roman Burko performed “Viennese Waltz” by Johann Strauss for Alois Voldanu.
Reference: Alois Woldan was born in 1954 in Linz (Austria), there he went to school and received high-school education. In 1973 he became a student in the University of Innsbruck where he studied Theology, Slavic and Comparative studies. Later he became an Austrian scholar in Voronezh, Austrian lecturer at the Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. In 1982 he defends the thesis on Slavic and Comparative Studies on the works by Mikhail Bulgakov. In 1982-95 Alois Woldan worked as an assistant at the Institute of Slavic Studies at the University of Salzburg; in 1984-1986 as Austrian lecturer at the University of Wroclaw. In 1995 Mr. Woldan defended his doctoral thesis on “The Myth of Austria in Polish Literature”, and in 1998-2005 he was a professor of the department of Eastern and Central European Studies at the University of Passau. Since 2005 Alois Woldan has been working as a professor of the University of Vienna, specialty “Slavic Literature”, where he joined a group of like-minded people who are actively researching in the field of Ukrainian studies.