THE POST-CHORNOBYL CHARACTER OF UKRAINIAN POSTMODERNISM IN THE WORKS OF YURKO IZDRYK

Abstract

The article highlights the peculiarities of the emergence of Ukrainian postmodernism and examines its main parameters. It is noted that the Ukrainian postmodern novel rejects the narrative strategies of realistic discourse and builds a unique worldview. The specificity of Ukrainian postmodernism, as reflected in the prose of Yurko Izdryk, is also discussed. The style of Izdryk's early prose is described as a postmodern version of «rhetorical apocalypse». The article analyzes various literary assessments of Izdryk's work and the specificities of the representation of the chosen thematic in his novel «Votszek & Votszekuria». The role and characteristics of the apocalyptic theme in the novel are also discussed, as well as the protagonist's desire to destroy the boundaries of reality and delve into the depths of his own self to find answers to the questions of human existence. The unique perception of human existence by Votszek is also examined. The novel is written in the style of a personal diary that attempts to capture the key flashes of consciousness in the process of continuous destruction. Accordingly, the space of the novel is presented as an unstable structure that combines dreams and hallucinations. Izdryk skillfully uses the «accumulation of fiction», an endless stream of ghostly characters, and a series of allusions to Ukrainian writers. The article emphasizes not only the meticulousness of classification and the author's amazing detachment, but also the uniqueness of conveying the emotions experienced by the protagonist. The clear, visible, and ephemeral connection between the «reality» of neurophysiological processes, their reflection in everyday life, and the possibility of accurately conveying this by language are also highlighted. The article describes the full range of suffering experienced by the protagonist, emphasizing that the literary uniqueness of the novel was formed in the postmodern aesthetic. The feeling of a closed space and hopelessness pervades the entire composition of the text. It is also noted that Izdryk uses an appropriate style of writing that creates an «effect of involvement» – the reader gets the impression that they are moving together with the hero.