Galina Babak, Postdoctoral Fellow, Czech Academy of Sciences / Institute for Human Sciences (IWM)

Bakhmut, a town that symbolizes two distinct phases of industrialization – capitalist and Soviet --serves as the starting point for two important narratives in Ukrainian literary modernism and nation-building. The first narrative revolves around the history of the literary magazine 'Zaboi / Literary Donbas,' a pioneering example of ‘coal-mining literature’. The second narrative focuses on the life and work of Bakhmut-born Mykyta Shapoval, a prominent writer, sociologist, political activist, and the driving force behind numerous Ukrainian cultural and educational institutions in interwar Prague. In my presentation, I will explore these narratives within various interdisciplinary, political, and geographical contexts. My goal is to illustrate how modern Ukrainian culture developed over state borders and became intricately interwoven within a broader tapestry of European cultural and intellectual exchange.

P.S. Today Bakhmut is a ghost town. It was destroyed by Russian troops during the recent invasion of Ukraine.

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Image: "Stack of Hardbound Books," Anthony, CC0 1.0.