Terra incognita: Ukrainian adventure prose of the first third of the 20th century. Review of the Monograph by Lyudmila Kulakevych «Genre Strategies of Ukrainian Adventure Prose of the First Third of the 20th Century» (Dnipro, 2020)
Authors:   Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Zavertaluk Ninel 
Published: December 2020

The paper reviews the monograph by L. Kulakevych, states the relevance of studies in the field of Ukrainian adventure literature of the first third of the 20th century. The review emphasizes that the monograph is devoted to a virtually unknown but powerful layer of Ukrainian adventure literature of the first third of the twentieth century. Some of the works studied in the monograph are only mentioned in the general reviews of the writers’ literary legacies while the other works remained unknown for the literary critics for almost a century. For instance, such works as «Opovidannia pro Sofochku y Dzhyma» (The Story of Sofochka and Jim) by D. Buzko, «Zaradynei» («For Her Sake») by I. Dniprovskyi, «Vurkahan» («Criminal») by Y. Miakota, «Viter z hir» («Wind from the Mountains») by S. Skliarenko, and «KniazBartsila» (Prince Bartsila) by O. Slisarenko. The importance of the monograph lies in the study of the works against the background of global cultural processes. The first section «The Nature of Genre in Adventure Literature: The Theoretical Aspect» pays special attention to the introduction of the contemporary Ukrainian literary processes into the global trends. In particular, it highlights the increased interest in adventure works, which, according to the literary critics of different countries, remained unnoticed due to colonial and gender discourses, demonstrating, to put it mildly, the «unattractive» side of European cultural expansion. This section also contains a detailed analysis of the existing definitions of «adventure» literature, the author of the monograph works on the disambiguation of the terms concerning «adventure» and providesmore clear and precise definitions. In the second chapter, L. Kulakevych analyzes the novels which, according to her, are the examples of the new genres in Ukrainian literature: frontier, western / eastern, robinsonade, roxolania. In the third section, the author studies the texts-representatives of the printed series, travelogue, and action genres. While analyzing the texts, L. Kulakevich points out the artistic components that serve as markers to attribute the texts to a certain genre. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the innovative quest of Ukrainian writers of the 20-30s of the 20th century, in particular, the development of the new genres in Ukrainian adventure discourse – noir novel, horror, detective, spy narrative, novel-quest. While substantiating the affiliation of the work to a particular genre, the researcher uses the theses of modern foreign experts in the field of literature and cinema to support her ideas. In the fifth chapter, L. Kulakevich investigates the texts, whichcontributedto the Ukrainian fiction with the new genres of chrono-travel, thriller, and alternative history. It is evident, that in the research of L. Kulakevych the Ukrainian adventure literature of the first third of the 20th century appears as an extraordinary and multidimensional phenomenon that synthesized the achievements of world culture and innovations of Ukrainian writers. In general, the monograph is highly praised for up to date factual basis, original approach to the analysis of literary works, and informative presentation.