The Yan Gelman Award, dedicated to people who contributed to the international fame of Odessa, the development of the city and its culture, has been held since 2019. It is organised by the historic KVN team 'Gentlemen of Odessa University.'
KVN (Club of the cheerful and enterprising) was a programme in which teams of amateur actors from schools and universities of cities throughout the Soviet Union participated (and it continued even after the end of the USSR). These teams competed on stage by performing self-written humorous scenes and improvisations on certain topics. Volodymyr Zelensky owes his career as a television actor to KVN, thanks to the popularity achieved by his team of actors. The team of the Mechnikov University of Odessa was three-time KVN champion thanks to Yan Albertovich Gelman, the director, screenwriter and artistic director of the team.
"A person with a philosophical worldview and a phenomenal sense of humour, as well as an understanding of what real Odessa is, what a city it really is and what it is in its true nature," the founders of the award say in his memory.
In previous years, the award was given to renowned people deserving of the city. But in this 2024 edition, the 'Gentlemen of Odessa University' decided to award the award to monuments to famous men from the history of Odessa, whom the regional government wants to remove from the city these days. An ironic gesture in the Odessa style, which represents the mood of the majority of citizens.
"The monuments represent great personalities who lived in Odessa, loved it, created in the name and glory of this city. Grateful contemporaries and descendants built monuments to them, because they wanted these people to always be with them. Monuments are memory, and as long as the memory is alive, the man is alive, the city is alive and the country is alive," the organisers explain.
Here are the nominees for the Yan Gelman Prize for 2024:
Isaac Babel, writer
The world's most famous writer from Odessa. A prose that is studied at universities abroad. He made the unique image of the city famous and taught the world to love the special language of Odessa. Babel's books are sold in bookstores all over the world.
Leonid Utyosov, musician and singer
An iconic singer in the history of Soviet jazz. He sang about his beloved city in difficult times and despite Soviet police oppression. Some of the most famous songs of Odessa are inextricably linked with his voice. "Today, Uncle Ledya sits peacefully on Deribasovskaya Street, and his songs continue to resonate in the hearts of people."
Valentin Glushko, scientist and academician
An engineer, the founder of rocket design. Chief architect of space systems. Thanks to him and another Ukrainian, Sergey Korolev, man went into space for the first time.
Duke Armand Emmanuel de Richelieu, Mayor of Odessa
The most famous mayor of Odessa in history, despite being a French aristocrat, representative of the imperial administration. Great protagonist of the urban planning of the city that started its economic and cultural prosperity. He was the prime minister in the France of the restoration. Symbol of administrative intelligence and honesty.
Alexander Pushkin, poet
The famous poet gave great publicity to the city, 200 years ago, with his great verses "All Europe breathes and blows there". He described the strong bond of Odessa and its surroundings with Europe. For this reason, the grateful citizens of Odessa built a monument to him with private donations of up to a cent, without any public contribution.
But since these monuments are candidates that will never be able to receive the prize money, it was decided to donate the entire fund as a contribution to a military hospital.
"We decided to take this step exactly now, when Russian missiles and drones are flying daily in Odessa. War is the most brutal test for the citizens of our country, for the Ukrainian people and for every Ukrainian city. That is why it is very important not to let our history, our sense of self-dignity and our identity be taken away from us. And for the ambitious, devoted to their city of Odessa, this is a vital necessity," summarise the members of the team "Gentlemen of Odessa University".
Former awards of Yan Gelman Awards:
• Evgeniy Golubovsky, vice-president of the World Club of Odessans, journalist.
• Mikhail Reva, sculptor, for his work “House of the Sun” on Langeron.
• Mikhail Veksler, poet.
• Sergey Terentyev, pianist.
• Sergei Ryadchenko, writer.
• Vladimir Podgorodinsky, film director.
• Anna Golubovskaya, photo artist.
• Alexander Androsov. Ukrainian TV producer, presenter of the program "What? Where? When?"
