“Dusha v meni rozhoydana yak dzvin!” Verse novels by Lina Kostenko as a dramatic history of the people

Abstract

Dramatic moments of national history can be traced through the prism of famous verse novels Marusya Churai and Berestechko by Lina Kostenko. It is emphasized that the poetess is characterized by leaving the theme of art for the theme of the people, their existence in the world. Revealing the originality of her poetry, in particular in the context of her great predecessors, the author of the article reveals through the structure of the writer’s poetic thought and the architectonics of the work the historiosophical, moral and ethical, and aesthetic layer of Marusya Churai. It is emphasized that the perfection of architecture appears here as a “material” expression of the fullness of self-development of a great poetic idea. The image of the legendary folk singer in the tragedy of her fate helps the poet to show not only the Liberation War led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, but also the full depth of the dramatic history of Ukraine. Motives of invincibility of the people, sovereignty, love of freedom, greatness of soul, and good morals of ancestors are prominent in this work. By actualizing the inseparability of the past, present, and future, Kostenko draws from history not the past, but the eternal. This is also characterized by the epic poem Berestechko, where in the context of the same historical events, the poet, focusing on the image of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, philosophically solves the problem of national defeat: no victory teaches so. There is also a pervasive opinion of Kostenko that Ukraine should establish itself in the world not only by deeds, but also by the Word of the highest standard.