# Psoy Korolenko

Psoy Galaktionovich Korolenko (Russian: Псой Галактионович Короленко; born April 26, 1967) is a pseudonym of a Russian songwriter and performer by the name of Pavel Eduardovich Lion (Russian: Павел Эдуардович Лион). Pavel Lion is also a slavist with a Ph.D. in Russian literature.

## Musical career

His pseudonym comes from Russian writer Vladimir Korolenko (1853–1921), whose works are a subject of Pavel's research. In university, Korolenko studied under Russian literature historian Nikolai Liban [ru], among others.
Psoy performs his own and others' songs, accompanying himself to keyboard instruments, mainly a Casio synthesizer in accordion timbre. Experimenting with quite various song traditions he sings in about six or seven languages, most frequently in Russian, Yiddish, English and French.
For example, one of Psoy's songs, Buratino, is an a capella rhythmic recitation of the same phrase – "Buratino byl tupoy" ("Buratino was dumb") – which after several repetitions starts to morph into other phrases, eventually shifting into Italian through syllable rearrangement. More phrases are then introduced and "mixed" vocally with it. The song is something of a parody of rap and trance music.
Psoy tours extensively beyond Russian borders, particularly in the United States, Europe and Israel. His music is popular both with adults (especially linguists) and teenagers. He rewrites many songs, and also has translated some songs from Russian to Yiddish. He has collaborated with musicians such as Julian Kytasty, Michael Alpert, and Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird. He has been involved in events celebrating Bundist organisations, such as playing music for the 120th anniversary of the Jewish Labour Bund in Melbourne, Australia.

## Discography

| Original name | English name/translation | Year | Co-producers |
| Песня про Бога | A Song about God | 2000 | |
| Fioretti | Fioretti | 2001 | |
| Песнь песней Псоя Короленко | Psoy Korolenko's Song of Songs | 2003 | |
| Шлягер века | Schlagers of the Century | 2003 | |
| Гонки | Races | 2004 | Neoangin |
| C чего начинается Родина (Un Vu Iz Der Onheyb Fun Foterland) | From What the Homeland Starts | 2006 | All Stars Klezmer Band |
| Русское богатство. Том I. | Russian Riches. Volume I. | 2007 | Alyona Alenkova |
| The Unternationale | The First Unternational | 2008 | Daniel Kahn and Oy Division |
| На лестнице дворца | On the Steps of the Palace | 2008 | Olga Chikina, Alyona Arenkova and others |
| Под покровом нощи | Under Cover of Night | 2010 | Opa! |
| Shloyme | Shloyme | 2011 | Timofeev Ensemble |
| Русское богатство. Том II. | Russian Riches. Volume II. | 2013 | Alyona Alenkova |
| Dicunt | Dicunt | 2013 | Oy Division |
| Жить не по лжи | Live Not by Lies | 2013 | Opa! |
| ИМАРМЕНИЯ: Песни о том, что сбывается | Imarmenia: Songs About What Comes True | 2015 | |
| НННН № 2 ПППП | NNNN #2 PPPP | 2015 | Igor Krutogolov |
| The Brothers Nazaroff: The Happy Prince | | 2015 | Daniel Kahn, Michael Alpert, Jake Shulman-Ment, Bob Cohen, and Hampus Melin |
| סוּס, כּלבֿ, חייל און אַ זונה | Equine, Canine, Soldier, Whore | 2017 | Israelifts |
| Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II | | 2018 | Anna Shternshis, Sergei Erdenko, Sophie Milman, and others; Grammy-nominated |
| Ловцы музыки | Pescadores de Música | Fishers of Music | 2020 | Дефеса - Defesa (Alisa Ten, Yuliya Teunikova, Yan Bederman, and others) |
| The Unternationale: The Third Unternational | | 2020 | Daniel Kahn and others |
| The Unternationale: The Fourth Unternational | | 2020 | Daniel Kahn and others |
| Хроники Аналоговой Жизни: Chansons de Guy Béart | Chronicles of Analogous Life: Songs of Guy Béart | 2020 | Fyodor Chistyakov, Olga Chikina, Gary Katz, Andrey Matlin, and others |