Mykola Rudenko (1920–2004) was a Ukrainian writer, Soviet dissident, World War II veteran, human rights activist, and philosopher. He served as secretary of the Ukrainian Writers Union and worked in the tradition of “poetry in opposition” begun by Skovoroda in the eighteenth century. In addition to seven volumes of verse, Rudenko published novels and several popular books on science and economics. His “Metaphysical Poems” includes a mathematical explanation of black holes.