Oksana Stefanivna Zabuzhko (, born 19 September 1960) is a Ukrainian novelist, poet, and essayist. Her works have been translated into several languages.

Life

Zabuzhko was born 19 September 1960 in

Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...

, Ukraine. The writer's father, Stefan (Stepan) Ivanovych Zabuzhko (1926-1983) was a teacher,

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

, and translator, the first to translate the stories of the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

composer and writer

Ilja Hurník Ilja Hurník (25 November 1922 – 7 September 2013) was a Czech Republic, Czech composer and essayist. Biography Hurnik was born in Poruba (Ostrava), Poruba, now part of Ostrava. He entered the Prague Conservatory, then went on to the Aca ...

into Ukrainian, and was repressed during Stalin's regime. According to Zabuzhko, she received her philological education at home. The repressions against the Ukrainian intelligentsia that began in September 1965 forced the family to leave Lutsk, and since 1968 she has lived in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. Zabuzhko studied philosophy at the

Kyiv University The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

, where she also completed her

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

in 1987. In 1992, she taught at

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

as a visiting writer. Zabuzhko won a

Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

in 1994 and taught

Ukrainian literature The term Ukrainian literature () is normally used to describe works of literature written in the Ukrainian language. In a broader sense it can also relate to all literary works created in the territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature mostly de ...

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. To date, Zabuzhko works at the

Hryhori Skovoroda Hryhorii Skovoroda, also Gregory Skovoroda or Grigory Skovoroda (; , ; , ; 3 December 1722 – 9 November 1794), was a philosopher of Ukrainian Cossack origin who lived and worked in the Russian Empire. He was a poet, a teacher and a composer o ...

Institute of Philosophy of the

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU; , ; ''NAN Ukrainy'') is a self-governing state-funded organization in Ukraine that is the main center of development of Science and technology in Ukraine, science and technology by coordinatin ...

. On 8 March 2022 Zabuzhko became the first person who is neither an

EU citizen The European Union citizenship is a legal status afforded to all nationals of member states of the European Union (EU). It was formally created with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, at the same time as the creation of the EU. EU ci ...

nor an official to address a plenary session of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

.‘A completely different language’: how Ukrainian writers and artists are responding to the war

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

(8 April 2022)

Literary work

According to Uilleam Blacker, Oksana Zabuzhko's work has two main preoccupations: national identity and gender. Zabuzhko's first novel, ''

Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex ''Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex'' is a 1996 novel by Oksana Zabuzhko. It caused significant controversy among critics and readers. This innovative and complex feminist writing was a new experience for the Ukrainian readership and intellectual commu ...

'', published in 1996, was met with great controversy both by the critics and by the readers. With its publication, the Ukrainian readership and the intellectual community faced innovative, provocative and complex feminist writing. According to a poll in 2006, this novel was recognized as "the book that most influenced Ukrainian society during the 15 years of independence". Today it is the most widely translated work of new Ukrainian prose in the world (15 languages), included in many reading lists and ratings of modern Eastern European classics. Oksana Zabuzhko's most famous book in the non-fiction genre is ''Notre Dame d'Ukraine: A Ukrainian Woman in the Conflict of Mythologies'' (2007). As a trained philosopher and cultural critic, Zabuzhko publishes essays and non-fiction works. Zabuzhko also turns to the Ukrainian history. Her most recent novel, ''

The Museum of Abandoned Secrets ''The Museum of Abandoned Secrets'' (Ukrainian: ''Музей покинутих секретів'') is a 2009 novel written by Oksana Zabuzhko. The novel, more than 800 pages long, spans six decades of contemporary Ukrainian history. Critics h ...

'' (2009), deals with three different epochs (

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 1970s, and early 2000s), and, in particular, the topic of

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...

, active in Ukraine in the 1940s and 1950s, and either demonized or silenced by the

Soviet historiography Soviet historiography is the methodology of history studies by historians in the Soviet Union (USSR). In the USSR, the study of history was marked by restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Soviet historiography i ...

. Oksana Zabuzhko belongs to the generation that Tamara Hundorova, a literary scholar, calls «post-Chornobyl».Tamara Hundorova. Pisliachornobyl's'ka biblioteka. Ukrains'kyi literaturnyi postmodern. Kyiv: Krytyka, 2005. The

Chernobyl catastrophe On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...

(1986), according to Hundorova, is not only one of the biggest calamities of the modern times, but also a «symbolic event that projects post-apocalyptical text ��into the post-atomic era». Most importantly, Chernobyl also marks the end of the Soviet Union, at least the end of any legitimacy of its ideology, and the beginning of the new Ukrainian society and new Ukrainian literature, free from socialist realism or consciously dismantling its legacy. One important feature of Oksana Zabuzhko's writing is that it is «turned outward» to the world, to be accessible to the Western reader. In 1995-2010 she was the vice-president of the Ukrainian branch of the

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

. In the fall of 2004, she did much to draw international attention to Ukraine's presidential election. On the eve of the Orange Maidan, she published an article in the WSJ by ''Ukrainian Solidarity.'' In June 2018, she supported an open letter from cultural figures, politicians and human rights activists calling on world leaders to speak in defense of Ukrainian director

Oleg Sentsov Oleh Hennadiiovych SentsovNosorih (Rhino)
labiennale.org ...

, a prisoner in Russia, and other political prisoners.

Awards

* Antonovych Prize (2009) *

Angelus Award The Angelus Central European Literature Award also known as Angelus Award () is a Polish international literary award established in 2006 and presented by the city of Wrocław, Lower Silesia. The award is given annually for best prose books writ ...

(2013) *

Shevchenko National Prize Shevchenko National Prize (; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since 1961. It is named after the inspirer of Ukrainian national revival Taras Shevchenko. It is one of the five ...

(2019) *

Women in Arts Award The Women in Arts Award is an award established in 2019 by UN Women Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute, and presented as part of HeForShe Ukraine's annual arts week in March. Only women are nominated for the award; its purpose is to bring atten ...

(2020) *

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's 100 Women list (2023)

Major works and style

Oksana Zabuzhko's first novel, ''

'', is one of the key texts in post-Soviet Ukrainian literature. It caused great controversy upon its publication, because the narrator expresses dissatisfaction with the established order of relationships between sexes, where a woman is subject to

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...

, social and sexual, both by the traditional patriarchy, as a gendered subject, as well as a subject of

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...

. The novel was analyzed from the point of view of

postcolonial theory Postcolonialism (also post-colonial theory) is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic consequences of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and th ...

. It also inspired a number of comparative studies, where Zabuzhko's novel was compared to the writings of

Jamaica Kincaid Jamaica Kincaid (; born Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardson on May 25, 1949) is an Antiguan–American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. Born in St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, she now lives in North Bennington, ...

Assia Djebar Fatima-Zohra Imalayen (; 30 June 1936 – 6 February 2015), known by her pen name Assia Djebar (), was an Algerian novelist, translator and filmmaker. Most of her works deal with obstacles faced by women, and she is noted for her feminist stance ...

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

Nicole Brossard Nicole Brossard (born November 27, 1943) is a French-Canadian formalist poet and novelist. Her work is known for exploration of feminist themes and for challenging masculine-oriented language and points of view in French literature. She lives i ...

, and others. The novel was also studied on account of its prominent style, with the «poetic» voice and the «intellectual» voice intermingling and creating an intricate structure. The novel engages some elements of ''

écriture féminine ''Écriture féminine'', or "women's writing", is a term coined by French feminist and literary theorist Hélène Cixous in her 1975 essay "The Laugh of the Medusa". Cixous aimed to establish a genre of literary writing that deviates from tradit ...

'', notably, writing (from) the body. Oksana Zabuzhko's second novel, ''Museum of Abandoned Secrets'', deals with Ukraine's resistance and opposition to the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

colonial regime in the 20th century. The novel presents the reality of the relations between the countries that within the structure of the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

were seen by the West only in the context of the myth of the «friendships of nations», the myth that Putin's Russia would still like to perpetuate. Oksana Zabuzhko's most famous non-fiction book is ''Notre Dame d’Ukraine''. It focuses on the Ukrainian writer of the fin-de-siècle era,

Lesya Ukrayinka Lesya Ukrainka (, ; born Larysa Petrivna Kosach, ; – ) was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active political, civil, and feminist activist. Among her best-known works are ...

(1871-1913), but is also a study of the Ukrainian intelligentsia of that time and their cultural values. Zabuzhko shows Ukraine's European legacy in regard to the tradition of chivalry and the ways in which it shaped the Ukrainian literature and mentality. Her book ''Let My People Go'' won the

Korrespondent ''Korrespondent'' (; ; literally: ''Correspondent'') is a weekly printed magazine published in Ukraine in the Russian and Ukrainian languages. It is part of United Media Holding group, created by Boris Lozhkin and owned by Serhiy Kurchenko.

magazine Best Ukrainian documentary book award in June 2006, ''

'' — Best Ukrainian Book — 2010.

Selected bibliography

Poetry

* May Frost (1985) ''Травневий іній'' * The Conductor of the Last Candle (1990) ''Диригент останньої свічки'' * Hitchhiking (1994) ''Автостоп'' * Second Attempt (2005) ''Друга спроба''

Prose

* Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex (1996) ''Польові дослідження з українського сексу'' * Sister, Sister (2003) ''Сестро, сестро'' * The Museum of Abandoned Secrets (2009) ''Музей покинутих секретів''

Non-fiction

* Philosophy of the Ukrainian Idea and the European Context: Franko Period (1992) ''Філософія української ідеї та європейський контекст: Франківський період'' * Shevchenko's Myth of Ukraine: An Attempt at a Philosophical Analysis (1996) ''Шевченків міф України: Спроба філософського аналізу'' * The Fortinbras Chronicles (1999) ''Хроніки від Фортінбраса'' * Let my People Go: 15 Texts About Ukrainian Revolution (2005) ''Let my people go. 15 текстів про українську революцію'' * Notre Dame d'Ukraine: Ukrayinka in the Conflict of Mythologies (2007) ''Notre Dame d’Ukraine: Українка в конфлікті міфологій'' * From the map of books and people (2012) ''З мапи книг і людей'' * Ukrainian Palimpsest. Conversations of Oksana Zabuzhko and Iza Chruslinska. ""Ukraiński palimpsest". Rozmowy Oksany Zabużko z Izą Chruślińską" 2013. * And again I get into the tank... Selected texts 2012—2016: articles, essays, interviews, memoirs (2016) ''І знов я влізаю в танк…. Вибрані тексти 2012—2016: статті, есе, інтерв'ю, спогади'' * Wormwood Planet (2020) ''Планета Полин''

Zabuzhko's texts translated in English

* O. Zabuzhko ''Girls'', Arrowsmith Press, translated by Askold Melnyczuk. * O. Zabuzhko ''I, Milena'' in: The Third Shore: Women's Fiction from East Central Europe (Writings from an Unbound Europe) (Paperback) by Agata Schwartz, Luise von Flotow. Also found in: Two Lands, New Visions: Stories from Canada and Ukraine by Janice Kulyk Keefer (Editor), Solomea Pavlychko (Editor). * O. Zabuzhko ''Fieldwork In Ukrainian Sex'', translated by Halyna Hryn. Las Vegas: AmazonCrossing, 2011 * A Kingdom of Fallen Statues. Poems and Essays by Oksana Zabuzhko Transl. by Marco Carynnyk, Askold Melnyczuk, Michael M.Naydan, Wanda Phipps, Lisa Sapinkopf, Douglas Burnet Smith, and Virlana Tkacz. Toronto: Wellspring Ltd., 1996 * O. Zabuzhko ''

'', translated by Nina Shevchuk-Murray. Las Vegas: AmazonCrossing 2012 * "No guilty people in the world? Reading Russian literature after the Bucha massacre" -

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

, 22 April 2022 * Selected Poems (2022, English translations), Arrowsmith Press

References

External links

Oksana Zabuzhko - official website

Oksana Zabuzhko's book Museum - official website

Oksana Zabuzko on Poetry International Web

Blog of Oksana Zabuzhko

"Girls" in English

Ukrainian Palimpsest in Polish (1st edition)

Zabuzhko's works published in AGNI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zabuzhko, Oksana 1960 births Living people People from Lutsk People of the Revolution on Granite Harvard University staff University of Pittsburgh faculty Ukrainian women poets Ukrainian women novelists 20th-century Ukrainian women writers Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv alumni Ukrainian women non-fiction writers Ukrainian women philosophers 20th-century Ukrainian poets 21st-century Ukrainian poets Ukrainian essayists Women essayists 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 21st-century Ukrainian women writers