Authors

Iryna Kovalchuk¹;  ¹ UCD, UK

Discussion

The paper explores the phenomenon of literary translingualism in Ukraine that is being shaped due to ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Using Andrey Kurkov’s Diary of an Invasion as a case study it focuses translingual literary practice performed by a Ukrainian Russian-language writer who wrote his work in English following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The paper situates Kurkov’s work within the broader socio-cultural and political dynamics that have catalyzed translingualism in contemporary Ukraine, including the ban on Russian literature, state-driven promotion of the English language, Olena Zelenska’s humanitarian projects on promotion Ukrainian books all over the world, an interest in Ukrainian cultural heritage abroad and the widespread shift among Ukrainians toward the Ukrainian language as an act of civic and cultural resistance. Moreover, the paper examines the effects the socio-political discourse had on the author, who had been writing in Russian before, his style and narratives.
The analysis investigates how these factors have influenced Kurkov’s narrative style, linguistic identity, and creative philosophy, foregrounding his translingual writing as a response to both personal and national imperatives. It argues that such works forge an interlingual dialogic space that enables the articulation of a new linguistic identity while contribing to the global understanding of Ukraine’s cultural and national distinctiveness. By contextualizing Kurkov’s translingual practice within his bilingual identity, the paper illuminates how Ukrainian authors writing in English engage with and expand the Anglophone literary canon, fostering a richer comprehension of Ukraine’s societal and cultural transformation.