In 1954, Mushketyk made his literary debut with the publication of his first piece, a story titled
Semen Paliy. That same year, he joined the
Union of Writers of the USSR. He began working as the head editor of the magazine
Dnipro from 1956 to 1972 and eventually rose to the position of
editor-in-chief over his 20 years there. The pages of
Yasa (1987) are devoted to the notion of unifying the Ukrainian people and the valiant battle of the masses against foreign invaders; in 1990, Borys Shylenko developed the
screenplay and directed the film Black Valley, which was based on the novel. In 1989, Mushketyk was later elected as the first secretary of the board of the Kyiv organization of the
Union of Writers of Ukrainian SSR. He was the
chairman of the Union of Writers of Ukrainian SSR Council from 1989; actively participated in the fight for the resuscitation of the
Ukrainian language and
culture. In 1995, the Ukrainian Academy of Original Ideas made him an
academician, and a
people's deputy in the 11th session of the
Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada. On 6 June 219, Mushketyk died at the age of 90. The
Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers bid him farewell and was buried at
Baikove Cemetery. == Political positions ==