Life Despite Death: Palingenetic Element of the Ukrainian Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18523/2313-4895.12.2025.65-75Keywords:
palingenesis, life, death, regeneration, war, Ukraine, Shevchenko, Kostomarov, Zerov, Khvyliovyi, Lesia Ukrainka, Ukrainian intellectual traditionAbstract
The article analyses the concept of palingenesis (regeneration, passage through death) in its European context and the Ukrainian cultural tradition. The author argues that, in the Ukrainian context, especially during the war, palingenesis is more than just a metaphor, designating an existential reality of affirming life despite death and emphasizing the strength and resilience of life in spite of the forces of death and destruction. The author explores this topic through the works of several Ukrainian authors, including Shevchenko, Kostomarov, Lesia Ukrainka, Malanyuk, Shlemkevych, and others. The author emphasizes the importance of examining Ukrainian cultural and existential experiences as a means of overcoming postmodern relativism and virtuality.
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