BOOK REVIEW: New writing from Ukraine (12/01/96)

BOOK REVIEW: New writing from Ukraine

"From Three Worlds: New Writing from Ukraine," edited by Ed Hogan, with guests editors Askold Melnyczuk, Michael Naydan, Mykola Riabchuk and Oksana Zabuzhko. Somerville, Mass.: Zephyr Press, 1996. 282 pp. $12.95, paper; $21, cloth.

by Mark Andryczyk

This fall, the English-language reader was given access to a little-known and virtually unexplored area of literature: the writings of contemporary Ukrainian women and men. This was done with the release of "From Three Worlds: New Writing from Ukraine," an anthology featuring works by some of Ukraine's most talented writers.

Published by Glas Publishers and Zephyr Press, "From Three Worlds" is composed of English-language translations of these writers' poetry and prose works. Because this book is the first of its kind in dealing with this subject matter, and because it is dealt with so insightfully and with such style, the publication of "From Three Worlds" is certainly a milestone in world literature.

Although most of the works in the anthology were written in the last 15 years, some of them were penned in the 1960s and 1970s. In the past, most of contemporary Ukraine's most interesting writers worked for many years, unofficially, in the literary underground. Few writers of any merit were approved by the Soviet state, and publication without compromise was virtually impossible.

With Ukraine independent but in dire economic straits, money has replaced censorship as an obstacle to providing an interested public with one's work. In fact, the Ukrainian reader first saw many of the original publications of the works included in "From Three Worlds" in the culturally auspicious period between 1987 and 1993. Since then, these books have been out of print and practically impossible to purchase. This fact accentuates the importance of this book's publication.

The writers featured in "From Three Worlds" come from various geographic regions of Ukraine, and their works are as elaborate and diverse as their native region's histories. Although most of these writers write both poetry and prose, their works are limited to one of the two forms in this volume.

The highlights of the prose writings are stories by Valery Shevchuk, Kostiantyn Moskalets and Oleksandr Irvanets. Mr. Irvanets' "The Tale of Holian" is a Kunderaesque tale of romance, with dreamy, folkloric underpinnings. Mr. Moskalets' "A Crowning Experience," laced with numerous forays into word play and the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, is a story of wartime escape from a virulent atmosphere in search of closeness and stability.

Perhaps "From Three Worlds'" best work is Mr. Shevchuk's "The Moon's Cuckoo from the Swallow's Nest." This volume's oldest and most experienced contributor begins with a hilarious tale of moral debt and barter that concludes with an introspective lunge into the strength of fate and the beauty in consenting to it. In Mr. Shevchuk's work, every sentence is elegantly shaped and bursting with lasting imagery. Myrosia Stefaniuk's translation and Debra Spark's English style-editing work beautifully in capturing the peculiarities of Mr. Shevchuk's talent and offering it, intact, for the English-language reader.

Some of the other prose pieces include works by Ukraine's reigning kings of black humor: Bohdan Zholdak and Yuri Vynnychuk. Mr. Zholdak's "The Seven Temptations" is a sarcastic tale of self-righteous martyrdom. Mr. Vynnychuk's "Max & Me" (originally titled "He-he-he") features Mr. Vynnychuk pushing his controversial style to the edge in a horror story of greed played out by the ultimate dysfunctional family.

The collection's poetry segment is anchored by the works of two of Ukraine's most avowed writers, Natalka Bilotserkivets and Oksana Zabuzhko. Ms. Bilotserkivets' "We'll Not Die in Paris" has become a signature piece for Ukrainian writers of the 1980s, and its inclusion in "From Three Worlds" is requisite. Ms. Zabuzhko's poetry characteristically features a cosmopolitan striving. References to historical European cultural figures in her writings resolutely situate Ukraine among the other nations of Europe.

The real treat of the poetry section is the inclusion of two poems by the elusive Oleh Lysheha. Mr. Lysheha's philosophical excursions in nature are sumptuous and fascinating. His poems "He" and "Song 352" are translated into English by James Brasfield in collaboration with the author. Like Ms. Zabuzhko, Mr. Lysheha knows the English language, and both writers' input into the translation of their works undoubtedly alleviates the difficult task of translating Ukrainian poetry into a non-Slavic language and accounts for the excellence of these translations.

Although the various writings included in "From Three Worlds" are diverse in style and content, there is a common element that unites many of these works - the setting. Many of these stories take place in drab, Krushchev-era "residential parks." These matchbox buildings, with their overwhelming grayness and glacial atmosphere, serve as backdrops for the actions of the alienated anti-heroes ubiquitous in contemporary Ukrainian literature.

These characters are distant men and women who lack a sense of social morals. Products of a Soviet society, they are surrounded by similar vacuous souls. Their interactions often involve alcohol, sex and swindle in pitiable attempts at self-identification and preservation.

The anthology's translators did an excellent job of handling the tricky peculiarities pervasive in contemporary Ukrainian literature. Perhaps united by their past unofficial existence, these writers often cross-reference each other in their works. This is especially true of the Bu-Ba-Bu group, all three of whose members are included in this collection (Yury Andrukhovych, Mr. Irvanets, Viktor Neborak).

For example, in "The Tale of Holian," one of Mr. Irvanets' characters, Serhiy Holian, recites poetry written by a poet "whose name starts with an A," as he attempts to woo a young woman. What he is referencing is, in fact, an actual poem, "Muzey Starozhytnostey," written by fellow Bu-Ba-Bu'er Mr. Andrukhovych and included in his first collection of poems.

One of the treats of reading contemporary Ukrainian literature is to pick up on puns such as these. In his "A Crowning Experience," Mr. Moskalets plays with a line from a well-known Neborak poem. Translators Assya Humesky and Jessica Treadway do an excellent job of relaying the significance of these seemingly trivial peculiarities to the reader.

Mr. Moskalets' use of two stanzas from a Hryhorii Chubai poem as an epigraph to his prose piece prods at one of the few faults of "From Three Worlds" - the exclusion of Mr. Chubai from this collection of writers. Hryhorii Chubai (1949-1986) was a central figure in Lviv's underground literary movement of the 1970s and had worked with and influenced most of the writers in this book. The fact that a few lines of his work did manage to make the pages of this collection is thus not surprising, but a formal inclusion of Mr. Chubai in "From Three Worlds" is essential.

Artwork by Ukrainian artists Mykola Kumanovsky and Ivan Marchuk add to the book's aesthetic appeal. The photographs by Tania D'Avignon, which dot "From Three Worlds," offer mixed results. Some are very beautiful and compliment the book's literary content, while others serve only to reinforce tired Ukrainian stereotypes. Why must all things Ukrainian include a photo of a "babushka" in an embroidered shirt?

"From Three Worlds" is also valuable as a bibliographic tool for readers interested in diving deeper into contemporary Ukrainian literature. The listing of the original publications of these writings in journals and collections, together with the book's contributor notes, provide the reader with the necessary background histories from which to launch further research. The one exception: the omission of Mr. Neborak's author note.

The importance of "From Three Worlds" is that in covering contemporary Ukrainian literature, it is the first book of its kind. The fact that an English-language reader can now go to a bookstore to purchase a book such as this has monumental significance. Use of the book as an educational tool in Ukrainian and Slavic literature courses further underscores its importance.

"From Three Worlds" paves the way for future publications in the overlooked field of contemporary Ukrainian literature - a field rich with talented writers and volumes of excellent writings awaiting publication. The difficult task of selecting 15 writers from this pool and assembling them, in translation, in one book is a truly commendable feat. Editor Ed Hogan and Zephyr Press have done the literary world a service by successfully opening the door to a fascinating new world with their excellent new book. Let's hope other publishers follow their lead.

Mark Andryczyk holds a master's degree in Central and Eastern European studies with a concentration in Ukrainian literature. He spent much of the last year in Ukraine.