Olha Poliukhovych

This project is a part of a broader, ongoing, intellectual biography of Ukrainian émigré poet, writer, journalist, and translator Yurii Kosach (1908–1990). This research is devoted to the historical, philosophical, and cultural context of the post-WWII refugee camps (DPs). It considers questions about the cultural and historical dimensions of European identity for Ukraine; the connection of Ukrainian intellectuals to Western European ideas, primarily existentialism; and a reconsideration of the Ukraine’s totalitarian past and Ukraine’s search for ways toward democratic transformations. All these issues are reflected in Kosach’s post-WWII private letters, publications, and his historical novel "Enei i zhyttia inshykh" (1946–47; Aeneas and the Lives of Others). Writing from the émigré perspective, Kosach presents his unique visions of Ukrainian literature, culture, and history – authentically rooting into the past and searching for ways to its modernization.