Literatura: Russophone writing in Ukraine
Date and time:
Thursday 29 July, 2021
18:30 - 20:00
Location:
In the discussion of national literatures, the question of language in which literary works are written presents a challenge. One choice could be to include all texts in all languages originally composed within the present-day borders of the nation; another, to include only the texts in the national language, irrespective of where they were composed. Neither of these two extreme approaches, however, is ultimately productive, and a complex negotiation between them is pursued, often leaving many thorny questions unresolved. This session will consider Russophone writing in Ukraine, with emphasis on the post-Soviet period. Given the lengthy history of Russia’s and the Soviet Union’s imperial domination, the negotiation between the place of those texts within post-imperial (and potentially postcolonially charged) global russophonia on the one hand, and an inclusively conceived Ukrainian literature on the other, has proceeded in complex but fascinating ways, which this session will explore.
The seminar will take a particular focus on the works of Andrei Kurkov.
You can either sign up to this seminar as a one-off via eventbrite, or enrol in the full Literatura course - full info here.
If you are a friend or benefactor of the Institute, you are entitled to a discount for the course. Please email us on info@ukrainianinstitute.org.uk to claim your discount and pay directly.
Included in the cost of the seminar:
- course handbook and materials, including English translations of texts studied as part of the seminar.
- access to video recording of the presentation by Prof Chernetsky.
Lecturer
Professor Vitaly Chernetsky
Vitaly Chernetsky is a Professor in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages and Literatures at the University of Kansas. His research focuses on modern and contemporary cultures (literature, film, popular culture) of Russia, Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, considered in broader comparative/cross-regional and interdisciplinary contexts. Chernetsky is the author of the book Mapping Postcommunist Cultures: Russia and Ukraine in the Context of Globalization, of five edited or co-edited volumes, and numerous articles and reviews. His published translations from Ukrainian and Russian into English include two novels and numerous shorter literary works, as well as scholarly articles and historical documents. He has served on multiple prize juries and expert review panels and is on the editorial and advisory boards of several journals. He is the editor of the Ukrainian Studies book series at Academic Studies Press.
