Abstract
A versatile personality of Ivan Franko (1856-1916) played a key role in the cultural relations between the Czechs and Ukrainians in the second half of the 19th century. Franko's interest in the Czech culture appeared during his secondary school studies, when he began translating the Manuscript of Dvůr Králové and the Manuscript of Zelená Hora.
The translations of Manuscripts were published in 1873 under the title Rukopys' Koroledvors'ka. The influence of the poetry of the Manuscripts is evident in some Franko's texts.
Franko also concentrated on the personality of K. Havlíček Borovský.
Franko recognized Havlíček not only as a stylistically close author, but also for his political radicalism and insight in Slavic (mainly Ukrainian) conditions. In 1901 Franko published the selection of Havlíček's poems.
He was one of the first to point out that Havlíček's poem "Baptism of St.Vladimir" had been written in so called "kolomyjka verse". Franko actively translated his contemporaries and disputed with the signatories of the Manifesto of Czech Modernism.
Another key issue for Franko was Jan Kollár and his influence on the revival process. Since the early 1890th the Czechs reciprocated Franko's interest.
Numerous translations of Franko's works appeared. Some of them had a favourable response and they became objects of critical interest of such renowned authors as Arnošt Procházka and Jiří Karásek.
Franko's articles, popularising Ukrainian culture, appeared in Czech periodicals and publications.