War poetry: Between testimony and generalized image
Journal cover Studia Ukrainica Posnaniensia, volume 13, no. 1, year 2025, title STUDIA UKRAINICA POSNANIENSIA  13 / 1
PDF (Українська)

Keywords

poetry
Russian-Ukrainian war
author
lyrical subject
reflection
time
national resistance

How to Cite

Polishchuk, Y. (2025). War poetry: Between testimony and generalized image. Studia Ukrainica Posnaniensia, 13(1), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.14746/sup.2025.13.1.7

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of Ukrainian war poems written during 2022–2024 period. The author notes particular evolution in the poetry motifs: from the shock, grief and mournful silence which dominated in 2022, to the realization of the need to resist the aggressor, affirming the strength of spirit and will, which are the reference point in this fierce and uncompromising fight. Contemporary poetry reflects the state of war and it is associated primarily with the images of women, from female authors, through women as the subject of poetry, to female readers. These texts convey the reality of war, and especially the emotional experiences of people during wartime. War poetry characterizes the state of contemporary national culture, which, like Ukraine itself, is in a state of existential threat. It illustrates well the amplitude of the moods of Ukrainians, who took up arms, became refugees or experienced the death of loved ones in the maelstrom of war. At the same time, the creation and distribution of translations of such poetry abroad also reflects a need to experience this war in a broader scope, especially outside Ukraine.

https://doi.org/10.14746/sup.2025.13.1.7
PDF (Українська)

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