Hryhorii Skovoroda

Hryhorii Skovoroda, also known as Gregory Skovoroda or Grigory Skovoroda (3 December 1722 - 9 November 1794) was a philosopher of Ukrainian He was also a poet, teacher, and liturgical music composer. His profound influence on his contemporaries and subsequent generations, as well as his way of life, were universally regarded as Socratic, and he was frequently referred to as a "Socrates". Skovoroda's work contributed to the cultural heritage of both modern-day Ukraine and Russia. So he is considered one of the most important historical figures in Ukraine.

Skovoroda wrote in three languages: Church Slavic, Ukrainian, and Russian, with many Western-Europeanisms and quotations in Latin and Greek. The majority of his preserved letters were written in Latin or Greek, but a small fraction used the variety of Russian of the educated class in Sloboda Ukraine, a result of long Russification but with many Ukrainianisms still evident.

He received his education at Kiev's Collegium Mohileanum (Kyiv, Ukraine). The philosopher led the life of an itinerant thinker-beggar, haunted by worldly and spiritual powers. In his tracts and dialogs, he discusses biblical issues alongside those previously discussed by Plato and the Stoics. Skovoroda's first book was published in Saint Petersburg after his death in 1798. In 1861, the complete works of Skovoroda were published for the first time in Saint Petersburg. Many of his works were only available in manuscript form prior to this edition.