Memory of the historical past in resistance poetry
Authors:   Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Bohdanova M. 
Published: June 2024

The article examines the memory of the historical past in the poetry of the Resistance. This research contributes to debunking the myths created by Soviet propaganda, restoring historical justice, and overcoming national complexes and traumas. In this regard, the process of forming a culture of historical memory during the years of independence and the contribution of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (established on 31 May 2006) have been analysed. Literature of the unconquered, in particular: Marko Boieslav, Marta Hai, Petro Volosh- Vasylenko - Petro Hetmants, Myroslav Kushnir, Yuriy Lypa, Oleh Olzhych, Olena Teliha, etc., diaries and memoirs of the participants of the events and their families are an inexhaustible source for clarifying the historical truth and restoring the memory of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people during the Second World War. The article shows that in Ukrainian literary criticism, the literature of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army participants has several definitions: "poetry of resistance", "Ukrainian poetry of resistance", and "poetry of the unconquered". The article analyses the peculiarity of the interpretation of the past based on the works of Petro Volosh-Vasylenko - Petro Hetmants (My Insurgent Marches), Marko Boieslav (Disobedient Words), and Myroslav Kushnir (Words from the Book of Battle). Historical memory in the poetry of the insurgents is represented by image symbols of the times of Kyiv Rus and the Cossack era. The authors also include the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army under the leadership of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists in this historical framework. The Ukrainian struggle is also expressed through symbolic traumas, losses that sharpen the collective experience of Ukrainians, help establish the logic of the national liberation struggle and motivate the lyrical hero to armed resistance, which develops into a vigilante revolt for the sake of justice. National traumas are expressed through the voices of people who witnessed the Holodomor and totalitarian repressions. The symbolic function is performed by the image of betrayal, which we have traced at the general and personal levels. The analysis of memoir literature by first-hand participants of the events made it possible to trace the spiritual dimensions of the UIA poets, whose key values are Christian: love for the Motherland, God, and neighbour. Betrayal of the Motherland is equal to betrayal of God. Each of the artists saw their life and social mission in serving God, the Motherland, and the Ukrainian people. That is why all the works are permeated by the motive of performing a certain "duty". The study is of literary, cultural, and historical significance, as it fills a certain gap in understanding the artistic originality of the texts at the level of analysing external and internal factors of influence; it contributes to the disclosure of falsified facts of the past about the insurgency. The study proves that the poetry of the Resistance represents the nation's ability to the collective resistance and refutes the image of a victim nation created by Soviet propaganda. Keywords: historical memory, image, symbol, Resistance literature, Ukrainian Insurgent Army, Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, traumatic memory, totalitarianism.