Єврейська тема у творчості Дениса Лукіяновича

Abstract

The article deals with the early works of Denys Lukiyanovych (1873–1965) on Jewish subjects in the aspect of genre-style specificity and in the context of the history of Ukrainian literature of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The key images and motives of the works, their problems, plot-compositional, linguistic and artistic features, marked by modernity, the tendency to impressionism, combined with a realistic vision of reality, are analyzed. It is proved that D. Lukiyanovych's early prose is characterized by colourful artistic time, multifaceted compositional construction, variety of plot elements (artistic precursions, decorations, etc.), layers of one event to another, and a vivid impressionistic manner. Nevertheless, the writer was able to create a true picture of life with clear realistic features, saturated with elements of naturalism, but not devoid of deep psychological content. Humanism and internationalism, author’s sincere compassion for the ordinary man are manifested in D. Lukiyanovych's literary works. In his early prose some important antipodes emerge, i.e. the «little man» and the «social order», which perhaps most succinctly convey the acute social conflict. Particular attention was also paid to Lukiyanovych's «Jewish people», who exemplify the assertion of high moral qualities that do not depend on nationality, because these traits are inherent by nature. It is the inner, mental reflections that prevail in such authorial images, though there is no complete blurring of the boundaries of the rational and irrational world. Such an interpretation by D. Lukiyanovych of the Jewish theme was a contrast almost to everything written in our literature about Jews before. The original focus is on some human issues: the injustice of power in the treatment of the ordinary man, bureaucracy of the state machine, the class division in a society, often the imbalance of urban lifestyles, which has its own rules, the possibility of discrepancy between the appearance of the individual and his inner consciousness, kindness among people, inability of the followers to enjoy their social rights and freedoms. It is noteworthy that D. Lukiyanovych doesn’t put the problem of the disadvantage of the Jewish people as such at the center of his works, but nevertheless the author focuses more on the «individual» misfortune of each particular person.