The book was published by the American publishing house Academic Studies Press, known for its attention to Ukrainian humanities studies. The book explores post-Soviet cultural layers of Ukraine, memory trauma, decolonization processes, and the reflection of historical fractures in literature. The central works of the analysis were the novels of Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, and Lina Kostenko.
This was reported the author of the book Tamara Gundorova.
“Saint Nicholas brought good news! My “Transitional Culture and Postcolonial Trauma” is now available in English. You can order it,” the post says.
As reported, Academic Studies Press previously collaborated with the author, publishing her work The Post-Chornobyl Library in 2019. Ukrainian postmodernism of the 1990s, which received positive reviews in the scientific community. Gundorova thanked the publishing house for its interest in Ukrainian humanities studies and the continuation of joint projects.
It was also noted that the literary critic separately thanked Maria Shuvalova, who joined the work on the new edition. In her author's address, Gundorova also noted the work of translator Tetyana Savchynska, who translated the book into English. According to the researcher, the English-language edition should significantly expand the international discussion on Ukrainian decolonization and help the Western audience to more deeply understand the origins of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“I think this book will help to understand more deeply what the current Russian-Ukrainian war is growing from and will expand the range of intellectual discussions on Ukrainian decolonization in the West,” Gundorova concluded.
“This work explores the transitional post-Soviet cultural layers of Ukraine at the beginning of the 21st century. From post-colonial traumas and intergenerational crises to the legacy of Chernobyl and the narratives of Zabuzhko, Zhadan, and Kostenko, Tamara Gundorova illuminates issues of memory, cultural identity, and courage,” reported by Academic Studies Press.
It was noted that the central cases of the study were three iconic Ukrainian novels written between the two Maidans: “Museum of Abandoned Secrets” by Oksana Zabuzhko, “Voroshilovgrad” by Serhiy Zhadan, and “Notes of a Ukrainian Homebody” by Lina Kostenko.
“Tamara Gundorova’s thorough and balanced analysis demonstrates how novels and short stories of recent decades help us see and understand the patterns and contradictions of the historical situation in which we find ourselves. Ukrainian writing always reflects and makes sense of the complex and painful moments that history leaves us. Literature always asks uncomfortable questions — about our fragmentation and our trauma, but also about our rootedness and continuity. We should not be afraid to talk about trauma. How else will we free ourselves from it?”, – said the Ukrainian poet and prose writer Serhiy Zhadan with impressions.
In Ukraine, the book was published in 2021 by the Grani-T publishing house, and in 2024 it was republished by the Vikhola publishing house.
Background
Tamara Gundorova is a senior research fellow at the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and an associate researcher at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. She is the author of several books, including the highly acclaimed “Post-Chernobyl Library. Ukrainian Postmodernism of the 1990s” (2019). She has taught at Princeton and Harvard Universities, and has completed research internships in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Germany. She is currently a fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Germany).
Photo: Academic Studies Press, Tamara Hundorova
Author: Inna Mikhno