On Ukrainian literature or about Ukraine in literature

Do we know something about Ukrainian literature? But were to find and how, in translations, of course? In fact, the question could be translated into: what we know about Belarusian, or Moldavian, or Bulgarian, or Croatian, or Slovak, or Estonian literature and a long long list is following. And, it is something interesting people from these countries have to tell us, what haven't been told since now or could not be told in German, or French, or English? Gifted people are everywhere, less lucky, that's their problem, not ours. And from now on we can start the recording about how important is to know the other, to build bridges between cultures and people through the universal language of culture. Which is true, but it is a small technical problem, mainly in literature? How to read it if they are not translated? So, it seems the translators should play a bigger role in the coming period, in any inter-cultural inter- or within country strategies, because they are the ones who mediate the communication. In addition, you need people with an enormous curiosity able to share and promote to the others quality writings, whatever the country of origins the writers are belonging to.

But, reaching this goal is still complicate and let's go back to what we already have. At the level of the daily, public perception, you associate most part of these countries with crime, prostitution, illegal immigration, in the Ukrainian case a plus is the daily discussion about gas supplies. So, no wonder if the shortest way to reach the hearts and minds of an audience, almost indifferent in general by addressing - at least in the title - exactly these rather penal aspects. And, even the content is interesting and not stereotypical at all, the risks are to strengthen these stereotypes.

Oksana Zabushko's "Field Work in Ukrainian Sex" was considered, according to a 2006 opinion poll in Ukraine, one of the most important of post-independence period. Is an account of post-totalitarian awakening traumatic experiences, at the end of a long period when bodies and souls of all the men and women were the considered the property of the state through an extended system of interdictions and social tabus.

It was possible to transgress it and in fact, all these rules were mostly designed for the subjects of the regime not for the ruling party leaders, but the last ones pretended, by their identification with the good power to share their part of the common property, including the individual citizens's lives and bodies. Abortion, for example, was illegal and punished with prison, but it doesn't mean these societies were living in the perfect purity. The access to condoms and proper medical service was possible without being considered a law infringement, but only if you was part of the establishment. But now, you have freedom and the independence and what to do with your body, how to offer yourself the repressed freedom? And then, you discover that you are not free, because the slave of various social and economic shortages. How you can get out of? Using your body as an exchange, a potlach.

It is not the exclusive way, of course. But it is another aspect: The communication through sex seems the easiest and not needing too much translation way to get in touch with the others - to be read Westerners. And, in this way, you discover that your body could speak various languages - from the one of hunger to the one of love. The more you are yourself on a higher step on the Maslow's stair, the more you need to share also part of your culture and identity. In this way, you scatter in your daily discourse lonely and documented references about the history and culture of your own country, nobody have the time to listen, understood and get further documentation about. Because, as we've mentioned at the beginning, the references are not usual. Your stamp is very simple: Easterner, if speaking a Slavic language, of course, Russian. Maybe your identity could get a higher profile or you simply consider yourself a victim and will never found on yourself in this strange and cold environment and will go back as soon as possible. There's no place like home. But your "home" could simply be an illusory and not corresponding to reality location.

Zabushko is also a poet and the book is including many verses, the old Ukrainian poetry tradition being obvious. And I asked myself, what kind of poetry you could have in post-communist/soviet countries? In many cases, during communism writing real poetry was forbidden, being replaced by the versification needed to offer a lyrical substance to various parties celebrations. After the "liberation" the sources of inspiration are to be found in the old folk or pre-modern authors, giving, at least the begining of this new chapter, a feeling of out-of-date.

We hear about Ukraine, again, as a direct title reference, in Marina Lewycka's "A Short history of Tractors in Ukrainian". Lewycka is Ukrainian by origin only, being born in a refugee camp in Kiel, in 1946. The Ukrainian character of his book is a young woman and his son, with the UK visa about to expire, "falling in love" with a widowed - with two daughters - , who's writing a book about tractors in Ukrainian. This character is corresponding to what we expect to read about a woman from this far East and the novel enjoyed a great success. It's a bitter humour, out of the television afternoon series.

If asked what's the book I like from the new Ukrainian literature, I would say without wavering: The Death and the Penguin of Andrei Kurkov, an absurd story centered of the life and death of Misha, the penguin rescued from Zoo. Because it's always healthy to keep in one of your pocket the dose of good, black humour. His case, as an Ukrainian writing in Russian, accused sometimes of not being a supporter of the Ukrainian literature, is revealing another important detail if it is to have a comprehesive view of the publishing landscape there. The financial flow infusing the local book market is extremely low. Russia is still a good market and they are many outspoken Russian writers who get the international recognition - as Viktor Erofeev, Yuri Mamleev, Irina Deneskhina or Victor Pelevin, to mention only a very few of them. In a way, it's quite difficult to accept for the pioneers of the new pioneers of a new national literature that this painful reference could not get out of sight.