Making Ukraine Soviet: Literature and Cultural Politics under Lenin and Stalin (Library of Modern Russia)

While most studies of Soviet culture assume a model of diffusion, according to which Soviet republics imitated the artistic trends and innovations born in Moscow, Olena Palko adroitly challenges this centre-periphery perspective. Rather than being a mere imposition from above, Making Ukraine Soviet reveals how the process of cultural Sovietization in Ukraine during the interwar years developed from a synthesis of different – and often conflicting – cultural projects both local and Muscovite in orientation. Engaging with a wide range of primary and secondary sources, including literary and archival material, Palko grounds her argument in the cases of two celebrated and controversial Ukrainian artists: the poet Pavlo Tychyna and prosaist Mykola Khyl’ovyi. Through this unique biographical lens, Palko's skilled analysis of cultural construction sheds fresh light on the complex process of establishing and consolidating the Soviet regime in Ukraine. In doing so, Palko offers a timely re-assessment of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and adds nuance to current debates on the relationship between national identity, the arts, and the Soviet state. Winner of the BASEES Alexander Nove Prize 2021 Winner of The American Association for Ukrainian Studies 2019-2020 Book Prize Honorable Mention for the ASEEES Omeljan Pritsak Book Prize in Ukrainian Studies 2022 While most studies of Soviet culture assume a model of diffusion, according to which Soviet republics imitated the artistic trends and innovations born in Moscow, Olena Palko adroitly challenges this centre-periphery perspective. Rather than being a mere imposition from above, Making Ukraine Soviet reveals how the process of cultural sovietisation in Ukraine during the interwar years developed from a synthesis of different – and often conflicting – cultural projects both local and Muscovite in orientation. Engaging with a wide range of primary and secondary sources, including literary and archival material, Palko grounds her argument in the cases of two celebrated and controversial Ukrainian artists: the poet Pavlo Tychyna and prosaist Mykola Khyl'ovyi. Through this unique biographical lens, Palko's skilled analysis of cultural construction sheds fresh light on the complex process of establishing and consolidating the Soviet regime in Ukraine. In doing so, Palko offers a timely re-assessment of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and adds nuance to current debates on the relationship between national identity, the arts, and the Soviet state. Cover Half title Series Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Note on transliteration and translation Abbreviations Introduction Part One Competing projects of Ukraine 1 ‘Above Kyiv there is a Golden Hum’: The National Revolution in Kyiv 2 In search of ‘a blue Savoy’: The Bolshevik revolution in Kharkiv Part Two Debating Soviet culture in Ukraine 3 Towards Soviet literature in Ukrainian 4 Defending Soviet Ukrainian literature Part Three Fitting in the Soviet canon 5 ‘Ukraine or Little Russia’: The battle for cultural autonomy in 1926 6 State appropriation of literature during the first Five-Year Plan Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index "Making Ukraine Soviet examines the process of cultural sovietisation in Ukraine during the interwar years. Engaging with a wide range of primary and secondary sources, including literary and archival material, Palko grounds her argument in the cases of poet Pavlo Tychna and prosaist Mykola Khyl'ovyi. Through this unique biographical lens, Palko's skilled analysis of cultural construction sheds fresh light on the complex process of establishing the Soviet regime in Ukraine and offers both a timely re-assessment of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the relationship between national identity, the arts, and the Soviet state"-- Provided by publisher