STATE AND POLITICAL FORMATION OF VYACHESLAV LYPYNSKY: READING THE IVAN KORSAK’S NOVEL «CHILDREN OF JAPHETH»

Abstract

In the creative heritage of Volynian writer Ivan Feodosiiovych Korsak, there are several dozens of historical portraits dedicated to famous people of both Ukrainian and world history, culture, science, and technology. Several of them constitute artistic biographies of the participants of the 1917–1921 Ukrainian revolution. Among these novels, «Children of Japheth» (Kyiv: Yaroslaviv Val, 2010) stands out. On the pages of this novel I. Korsak describes the formation of Viacheslav Kazymyrovych Lypynskyi’s personality by introducing Lypynskyi’s political growth through the lenses of the background of the Ukrainian Revolution events. V. Lypynskyi's scientific, journalistic and literary heritage has taken a signigicant place in the latest research of domestic and foreign scientists. His political views became a significant asset of Ukrainian state thought in the first quarter of the XX century. It was he who managed to formulate the main components of Ukrainian national conservatism and to substantiate the historical foundation of the hetman's power. At the same time, V. Lypynsky was forgotten and thrown out from the scientific discourse by Soviet historians, who biasedly interpreted the military-political events from centuries ago. From this perspective, I. Korsak's novel «Children of Japheth» is a synthesis of reflections, assessments, parallels, and attempts to find the place of V. Lypynskyi's personality in the state discourse of the 1920’s. The referred research, reflection, and warning novel was built by the author based on significant work with documents and works of V. Lypynskyi and the synthesis of important milestones in the life of the main hero of the novel, while also paying due regard to the importance of minor characters, the significance of what is said as well as awareness of the yet unsaid. It is noticeable from the pages of the novel how, during the military-political events of 1917, V. Lypynskyi’s political views began to gravitate more and more towards the monarchy with the limits imposed by democratic institutions. This position was based on the perception that the then contemporary socio-political events, which bordered with anarchy and the decline of the state idea, required strong state governance. Ivan Korsak clearly defined V. Lypynskyi's political orientations in the pre-war period, during the First World War as well as during the era of the Ukrainian state-building, and established their maturity in the emigration period of the politician's life. Among other things, the refrain of the novel is the drama of the main hero – he gradually became alien and incomprehensible person in the eyes of his companions, while not becoming one of those to whom he though he belongs.