IVAN FRANKO’S POEM “TSAR’S WORDS” IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WRITER’S ANTI-IMPERIAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The paper analyzes Ivan Franko’s poem “Tsar’s words” in the context of the anti-imperial discourse presented in the writer’s journalism and poetry. It also uncovers allusions and reminiscences of the poetic texts by T. Shevchenko and P. Kulish within the poetic framework of Franko’s work. Additionally, the study directs attention towards the facts of Franko’s life during the Russian occupation of Lviv from 1914 to 1915, a period when this particular poem was written.
 In terms of content, the poem 'Tsar's Words' represents Franko's satirical reflection on the manifesto addressed by the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Nikolai Romanov, to Galician Muscophiles and the people of Galicia. The title-allusion “Tsar’s words” decodes the real political and historical meaning of this monarchical message, essentially revealing the aggressive and conquering plan of Russia’s anti-Ukrainian project for Galicia. Under the pretext of “collecting Russian lands,” its true aim was to undermine the core of Ukrainian life in the region. Therefore, the poetics of this piece is defined by the simultaneous presence of literary imagery and topical journalism. The poem contains genre features of political satire with elements of invective, political parody, and biting sarcasm. It is characterised by an angry denunciative pathos, the presence of an implicit addressee, a combination of high and vernacular vocabulary, hyperbolism, and polemicism.
 As a far-sighted political analyst with the foresight of a national prophet, Franko saw deeper historical processes and consequences in this war, interpreting it in the spectrum of a historically consistent, existential confrontation between the national aspiration of Ukrainians for their own statehood and centuries of Russian enslavement. The political sarcasm of the poem further develops into a prophetic vision and national warning by Franko against the bloody consequences of an uncertain peace with Muscovy, exposing the real essence of the colonialist policy of russification, savage conquest, and obscurantism.