Prisma Ukraïna Seminar
Do. 19 Dez. 2024
| 16:00–17:30
First Go Novels, Then Go Tanks. Russian Military Fiction and Ukrainian War Writing
Presentation by Mariia Shuvalova (National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy) with the Prisma Ukraїna: War, Migration, Memory Research Group
This study examines the contemporary dimensions of Russian military fiction and Ukrainian war writing. The research highlights the significant surge in Ukrainian war literature following the 2014 Russian invasion, with over 200 books published by 2019, primarily authored by soldiers, veterans, volunteers, and witnesses. In contrast, the research identifies a trend in Russian literature predating the conflict, with novels published as early as 2009 depicting full-scale military invasions of Ukraine in the nearest future. These works, while lacking in artistic merit, have been leveraged by Russian media to claim prophesying the war.
The study argues that beyond the actual invasion, a war of narratives has been unfolding in contemporary literature for years. It emphasizes the role of literature in shaping public perception and historical memory of the war, highlighting the stark differences in approach between Ukrainian authors documenting lived experiences and Russian authors engaging in speculative fiction. This research contributes to the understanding of how literature serves as a medium for processing national trauma, preserving historical memory, and potentially influencing geopolitical narratives in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Mariia Shuvalova is a literary scholar and lecturer from Ukraine, currently pursuing her PhD at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She is a Fulbright Scholar who spent the academic year 2019-2020 at Columbia University in New York. She was a junior research fellow at IWM (Vienna) and non-residential fellow at University of Toronto. Shuvalova is currently working on research examining Russian contemporary military fiction, analyzing narratives used to justify and normalize war in Ukraine, and managing Ukrainian Open Access Translation Series at ASP (Boston). She is also involved in editing a special issue titled Empathy vs Empire: How (Not)Understanding of Imperialism Shapes Discourses and Decisions in and about Ukraine, Europe, and Beyond.
Professional Background
- Literary critic specializing in comparative literature and contemporary Ukrainian literature
- Lecturer teaching Academic Writing and specialized courses at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
- Guest lecturer at international institutions like Oberlin College (USA)
- Acquisition Editor at Academic Studies Press (ASP)
- Editorial assistant of the international peer-reviewed Kyiv Mohyla Humanities Journal
Research and Academic Expertise
- Comparative literature
- Contemporary Ukrainian literature
- Identity and Memory Studies
- Translation
- Russian cultural colonialism
Online Meeting via Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/93270199131?pwd=fYjdi2Z0zEb5xnUTR4AAp9zNv9twac.1
Meeting ID: 932 7019 9131; Passcode: 352966
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