Markevich, Nikolai

Born Jan. 26 (Feb. 7), 1804, in the village of Dunaitsy, now in Glukhov Raion, Sumy Oblast; died June 9 (21), 1860, in the village of Turovka, now in lagotin Raion, Kiev Oblast. Ukrainian historian, ethnographer, and poet.

In his youth Markevich published several collections of poems, including Ukrainian Melodies (1831), based on Ukrainian popular legends and beliefs. His History of Little Russia (vols. 1-5, 1842-3) is a work of compilation; the third, fourth, and fifth volumes, in which documentary materials are collected, are of some interest. The collection of historical documents on 18th-century Ukrainian history compiled by Markevich (kept at the V. I. Lenin State Library of the USSR) is of considerable scholarly value. Markevich’s best-known work on ethnography is Customs, Beliefs, Cuisine, and Beverages of the Little Russians: Extracted From Contemporary Customs and Mores (1860).