SPACE OF WAR IN UKRAINIAN HISTORICAL DETECTIVE FICTION

Abstract

The article examines the historical detective genre in contemporary Ukrainian literature, which has become one of the most popular on the book market and has formed stable reading communities. Historical detective stories are created by Vladyslav Ivchenko, Bohdan Kolomiychuk, Andriy Kokotyukha, Yuriy Vynnychuk, Vasyl Dobryansky, Iren Rozdobudko, Yuriy Datsenko, Olga Salipa, Natalka Snyadanko and others, mostly in the format of large “book series”, series of novels united by the depicted period, locations and serial characters. Contemporary writers depict the authentic atmosphere of the past, draw parallels with the present, seeking answers to essential questions related to the consolidation of the nation during the current russian-Ukrainian war, the problem of national identity. The events of the First World War and the National Liberation War of 1917–1921 often serve as material for historical detective fiction. This historical period is widely represented in World literature. In Bohdan Kolomiychuk's story “The Sky over Vienna”, his novel "300 Miles to the East", Andriy Kokotyuha’s novels “The Mistress from Rynok Square”, “The Exile and the Sinner”, Vasyl Dobryansky’s novel “The Chest for the Hetman”, the space of war is divided into front and rear, cities before or during russian occupation. The European map of the First World War serves as a vivid setting for the criminal plots of Ukrainian historical detective stories and enables the authors not only to deepen social, political, national, psychological conflicts, but also to raise important issues of Ukrainian identity, social justice, and the political future of Ukraine. Military landscapes are superimposed on detective investigations, stimulating the actions of detectives and adjusting their motivation: not only to expose criminals, but also to defend the interests of the Ukrainian community, to survive in a hostile imperial environment, to intervene in the geopolitical struggle. This leads to the blending of the genres of detective story, military narrative, and spy fiction in the works by Bohdan Kolomiychuk, Andriy Kokotyukha, and Vasyl Dobryansky.