The Space of Memory in Lesya Ukrainka’s Oeuvre

The article interprets the motives of memory in the literary works of Lesia Ukainka. For Lesia Ukrainka, the recollection is “the light that lives without a star” and continues to shine and enlighten the soul. Since the goddess Mnemosyne is the mother of all nine Muses, personal recollections are as important to artists as the presence of collective memory. However, the subordinate and colonized nation is endangered by losing the right to talk about its past. In “Orhiia” (Orgy) and “Rufin i Pristsylla” plays, the manifestation of the Ukrainian position with summons to the empire is essential. In particular, it claims that the colonizers passed “over us like bridges” to the world fame, and stolen Ukrainian history became fundamental for the imperial myth. In these terms, the issues of memories and anti-colonialism in Lesia Ukrainka’s plays are highly relevant. Buried manuscripts and hidden memorial treasures have partially survived and provided the foundations of our identity. Specifically, one will find memory-nostalgia, memory-retribution, memoryheritage, and the past that inspires and elevates or, on the contrary, enslaves and deprives of strength. A piece of writing, a book, an engraving on a stone, a portrait, and a melody are the carriers or mediators necessary for communication with the past. The author constantly emphasizes the interconnection between power and memory and reflects on the price of fame that rewards artists. The role of literature as a guardian of collective identity in Ukraine is significant, and iconic plots of Lesia Ukrainka include these collisions between the poet and the powerful.