Instead of introduction

Prezentowany tekst stanowi fragment artykułu Російсько-українська війна 2014 року: причини, перебіг та політико-правові оцінки, zamieszczonego w wydaniu specjalnym czasopisma „Український тиждень” z dnia 23.10.2014 r.

How to Represent War.

The hybrid warfare going on in Donbass has had consequences on the informational and cultural spheres in Ukraine. It is a war for influence where Ukraine cannot adequately confront Russia because it does not have the necessary recourses and a developed media culture. The number of literary works about the war published in the last few years show that Ukrainian writers want to challenge the discourse on war. Between 2014 and 2016 numerous novels, stories, essays, reports, and poems were published by such writers as Halyna Vdovychenko, Yevhen Polozhiy, Sergei Lozko, and Vladyslav Ivchenko. These authors try to show all the horror of the war and the changing attitudes and consciousness of Ukrainians. The issue of forming a new Ukrainian collective identity is reflected in contemporary literature.

The Armed Conflict in Ukraine and its Representation in Contemporary Ukrainian Literature. Margaryta Surzhenko’s АТО. Історії зі Сходу на Захід.

The essay examines Margaryta Surzhenko’s novel АТО. Історії зі Сходу на Захід (2015). In the context of the ongoing fighting in the Donbass area, this type of narrative brings reflection to the national identity of the inhabitants of Eastern Ukraine and their escape from the war zone. The author focuses not only on the migration but also on the information space (pro-Russian) under the influence of which the inhabitants of Donbass lived their whole lives. Ordinary people suddenly found themselves in the center of a dangerous armed conflict. Such a course of the situation needs to be analyzed in the context of the long-term coexistence of Russians and Ukrainians, as well as the influence of power in those areas. Changing the balance of power in the region affected ordinary residents, often forcing them to escape.

The Tales of the Children of War – Ukrainian Independent Modern Theatre The author examines the theme of war in contemporary Ukrainian theatre.

Starting with a brief description of the representation of Ukrainian topics in plays directed by Poles, the author puts Polish theatre in contrast with the contemporary Ukrainian drama and stage projects presented by the youngest generation of Ukrainian artists. Focusing on plays by Vorozhbyt, Jurov, and Arie, as well as directorial projects-concepts of Brama, Displaced Theatre or the freak-cabaret Dakh Daughters, the author tries to show the diversity of narratives and perspectives of the textual and formal forms. According to Ukrainians, the war is not a narrative story, but it brings attention to some more complex problems of the Ukrainian society.

Władimir Rafiejenko w rozmowie z Agnieszką Matusiak z okazji premiery swej najnowszej powieści Po najdłuższe czasy

O tym, jak statek filozofów płynął z Doniecka do Kijowa. Historia pisarza, wydawcy oraz pewnej halucynacji

Być może wielu czytelników tego eseju (zwłaszcza ukraińskich żołnierzy frontowych) obrazi się, zezłości lub najzwyczajniej w świecie dostanie szału. Ich reakcje są do przewidzenia: „I po co pisać pamflet na armię ukraińską?”, „A gdzie patriotyzm?! Potwarz dla nas wszystkich!”, „Autor obserwuje sytuację jak pod mikroskopem, wynajduje jakieś szczegóły i robi z nich problemy. A nasza armia to coś więcej niż tylko problemy!”, „Dlaczego nie dostrzega drugiej strony medalu?”, „Czy nie jest to lanie wody na młyn naszych wrogów?” itd., itp.

Polish-Jewish relations in Lviv 1918 – 1919 (selected issues).

During World War I Lviv became a field of struggle between Poles and Ukrainians for the possession of the city. During the conflict Jews declared to be neutral. Nevertheless, when the Polish army took over the city, anti-Jewish riots started. Jews were, mainly falsely, believed to support Ukrainians. The pogrom lasted for two days (Nov 22 – 23 1918) and had a strong negative effect on the Polish-Jewish relations. Another important issue was the question of equality for Jews. Most of the Jewish political parties in Lviv understood and supported the demand. Poles, for various reasons, could not agree to grant Jews with a national-cultural autonomy. For the public opinion in Poland, the Jewish struggle for equality was only another example of their hostility towards the Polish state.

The Character of the Polish Princess in the Early Textual Revisions of Panteleimon Kulish’s Чорна рада („The Black Council”).

The paper analyzes the early texts of the manuscripts of the Russian and Ukrainian versions of Kulish’s novel The Black Council. Substantial changes can be observed in the representation of the Polish princess, the wife of captain Hvyntovka, in both versions of the novel.

The Identity of Ukrainian Lviv: how the stronghold of cultural resistance has been created.

The aim of the essay is to present and explain the process of creation of the identity of contemporary Lviv. According to the author, in order to analyze this process, it is necessary to remember about cultural factors which can influence political affairs. The essay includes an examination of the main cultural images composing the identity of the city, especially these believed to be attractive for the presented community, as well and these which are treated as the points of repulsion.

Nadzwyczajne zainteresowanie ukraińskich mediów wzbudza ostatnio działalność ukraińskiego archiwum filmowego. Głównym celem instytucji jest próba włączenia kultowych dzieł radzieckiej awangardy – tych nakręconych na Ukrainie – do dorobku kinematografii ukraińskiej. Narodowe dziedzictwo filmowe staje się tym samym ważnym tematem debaty publicznej.

The Unknown Borys Hrinchenko’s Novel on Ukrainian History.

The unfinished novel by Ukrainian writer Borys Hrinchenko about the 17th century has just been published for the first time. Literary critics have never directly mentioned this literary text. The article examines the history of the creation of the novel; in particular, the circumstances that prevented the author from finishing it. Special attention is paid to the originality of the work, the displaying of the events through the eyes of a woman, a Polish noble lady. The article also traces similarities in the representation of private and public conflicts caused by social and issues found in Hrinchenko’s novel and Mykola Kostomarov’s drama Pereyaslav’ska Nich (Pereyaslav night) and Panteleimon Kulish’s novel Chorna Rada (The Black Council).

Analiza współpracy uczelni polskich i ukraińskich na tle porównania systemów szkolnictwa wyższego. Wnioski i rekomendacje, red. Jerzy Woźnicki [Аналіз співпраці польських та українських вищих навчальних закладів на фоні порівняння систем вищої освіти, за ред. Єжи Возніцького] Poznań–Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2015, ss. 258, [270]

Леонід Ушкалов, Що таке українська література : есеї, Львів: Видавництво Старого Лева, 2015, ss. 352

Równolegle ukazała się także wersja ukraińsko-angielska: Листи з України. Поетична антологія [Letters from Ukraine: Poetry Anthology], red. Г. Семенчук, Тернопіль 2016 [przyp. red.]

Юрій Винничук, Аптекар: роман , Фоліо, Харків 2015, ss. 443

Mariusz Sawa, Ukraiński emigrant . Działalność i myśl Iwana Kedryna-Rudnyckiego (1896 – 1995), Lublin: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, 2016, ss. 379