NATALIE KONONENKO WINS AWARD FOR HER STUDY 
OF UKRAINIAN MINSTRELS IN LITERATURE

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 18 -- Natalie Kononenko, a
University of Virginia Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and
Literatures, has been awarded the 1997 Kovaliv Prize for her latest
book, "Ukrainian Minstrels: And the Blind Shall Sing."
	The book, published by M.E. Sharpe and due out in December,
lends insight into the lives of minstrels in 19th century Ukraine. It
includes translations of some of the songs they sang, including secret
songs that have never before appeared in print.
	The prize was established by a Swiss couple, Petro and Lesia
Kovaliv, to honor the best manuscript of the year that deals with
topics in the history and culture of Ukraine. The prize is judged by
an international scholarly committee and administered by the Ukrainian
National Women's League of America.
	Kononenko's manuscript was chosen for the depth of its
research, the scope of the project and the lively fashion in which the
material was presented, according to Martha Bohachevsky Chomiak, vice
president of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America and
chair of the Kovaliv Prize Committee.
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                                                       November 17, 1997
	For more information, call Natalie Kononenko at (804) 924-3554
or Bohachevsky Chomiak at (212) 533-4646.