Ukrainian Literature in the Twentieth Century: A Reader’s Guide

A nation's literature serves as a mirror of its social and political life. Ukraine, although stateless for most of the twentieth century, is no different in this regard from other lands. Through decades of tremendous political and social changes, Ukrainian literature has reflected the transitions in Ukrainian life. George S.N. Luckyj provides a survey of the main literary trends of Ukraine, its chief authors, and their works, as seem against the historical background of the present century. He offers his own critical comment and considers as well the opinions of other literary scholars and critics, often in capsule form. Encompassing almost the entire century, the volume shows the growth, the enforced isolation and near-extinction in the 1930s, and finally, the very latest revival of Ukrainian literature. Luckyj provides information about literary developments both in Ukraine and in the Ukrainian emigration and diaspora. The scopy of the volume extends to all Ukrainian literature, wherever it was written, and demonstrates how phenomena inside and outside Ukraine emerge as complementary. This book is published in association with the Shevchenko Scientific Society of New York.