Roxelane, figure historique et personnage littéraire

Abstract

The legal wife of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman II the Magnificent, Roxelana, also known as Hurrem Haseki Sultan or Anastasiya Lisovska, has enjoyed great popularity and recognition over the years. This fact is reflected in numerous literary works. The fictional character Roxelana figures in plays and historical novels by Turkish, French, Italian, English authors, from the 16th century onwards. Ukrainian authors became interested in this heroine relatively late (beginning with the 19th century). The novel 'Roxolana' by Osyp Nazaruk, first published in 1930, achieved the most remarkable success in this sense. An incredible story of the extraordinary destiny of a slave from Ruthenia who became the sultan’s legal wife in the Ottoman Empire, edifyingly reveals all the firmness, ambition and dignity that characterize Ukrainian women, used to facing the scourges of life. It took the author an extensive and in-depth historical research to create a convincing authentic character who became the symbol of female power and patriotism.