New History of Ukrainian Literature2012 - ongoing

A research group led by professor George Grabowicz (Harvard University) is working on a new history of Ukrainian literature that attempts to reconstruct the ideological, aesthetic and social framework, which defined the production and reception of texts in a given time period. This is a clear departure from the “classical” canon and a suggestion of alternative reading that incorporates the connection between regional aspects, literary and cultural phenomena. This alternative reading will be characterized by an inclusive approach, that incorporates texts and writers of various languages.

Although the project primarily targets Western audience, it also holds forth the promise of revitalizing Ukrainian literary-historical studies and the literary historiography as such.
In connection with a methodological outline of the history of Ukrainian literature, flexible formats will be adapted:

  • Short contextualization of political and historical turning points or phenomena as introductions to the main sections;
  • Articles arching various literary phenomena in different times and spaces and showing their intersections, e.g. urbanism in Ukrainian literature, drama in the 19th century, regional connections of Ukrainian literature with Polish, German or Yiddish and Russian literary contexts, use and restrictions of the Ukrainian language;
  • Sections that focus on topics or periods with their classification of styles (e.g. realistic writing) or their canon of writers. They will also indicate the wider socio-cultural context and adapt a flexible approach on sections, underlining the specific features of the given period. The sections will cover the literature from early Medieval times (Kievan Rus) until recent literary phenomena, such as postmodernism and pop-literature.

    • The volume publication is planned for 2018.

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