“Artist needs no gratification for his very fate is a reward”: Motif of fate in the works of Lina Kostenko

Abstract

Motif of fate is an inherent part of Lina Kostenko’s works. Kostenko, one of the leading representatives of Sixtiers, is suprisingly diverse in her approaches to this motif, i.e. fate both predestined and as a free choice of a human being (understood as both personal fate and the fate of others, the nation and fate as a poet’s calling). Despite multiple perspectives on the problem of fate, Kostenko points out that the artist needs no admiration or reward. Instead, their very fate can be considered an award. This fact determines their entire existence as both poet and a human being, implicating a moral imperative in life and in their works — a theme and artistic creed. This paper utilizes a hermeneutic approach in research.