Though politicians represent the country, it is the intellectuals who create it. It is them who establish standards of moral values that the majority will take as an example. Even if the cultural level of the representatives of government leaves much to be desired, the neopolitical elite should set the tone of discussion and keep it alive in the society.
It should, but...
Recently, Ukrainian writer Yurii Vynnychuk was the biggest news-maker. Unfortunately, it was not for his works like the Anthology of Executed Renaissance that he became the center of attention, but a small scandalous poem, which he first read at the Night of Erotic Poetry – an event in Lviv.
We do not find it necessary to review all the events that were stirred by this rhymed splash of emotions, or retell it. Let us just note that the poem was recited on TVi and Lviv Wave radio station. The police demanded that the poet should present explanations, and Maria Matios, Yurii Andrukhovych, and the Ukrainian Center of the International PEN Club stood up to defend Vynnychuk. The website that published the poem received more than 22,000 hits in a few days. It is not likely that this amount of people would read the Antholody of Executed Renaissance by Vynnychuk even in a year.
It is not even about the obscene language as much, as it is about the absence of sense. Irony and even scalding satire are the main tools of the writer. But, pardon me, this poem did not even have those. For those who doubt it, see ironical and sarcastic poetry of Soviet times. Of course, the regime back then imposed some restrictions on the works of art, but the difference is still too shocking.
So, how can society develop a demand for a new and better government, if the trustworthy people consciously lower the culture level?
We offered the participants of Den’s Summer School of Journalism to talk about civic responsibility of those who are associated with certain level, and about what should the cultural level of Ukrainian intellectuals be today.
THE DISCONTENT WITH GOVERNMENT IS NOT A REASON TO LET THE NIHILISTIC MOVEMENT SPREAD
Lina TYMOSHCHUK, National University “Ostroh Academy”:
“At all times writers had their special role in the progress of the society, because it was often no one else but them who tuned the mood of broad masses. The history is full of examples when certain written works aroused people for rebellions. However, I think that today Ukrainian postmodern literature deviates from its initial mission of being a national locomotive. The reader whose taste has not yet been defined will find it hard to choose the right landmark in the modern literature-making process.
“One of the main problems of modern literature is the values hierarchy crisis. Ulas Samchuk used to say: ‘I am a writer because it is the duty I have to fulfill for the nation.’ It is hard to say whether modern writers think they have any duties, or if they take the responsibility for the principles they preach, or they just write to satisfy the demands of people, thus earning instantaneous recognition and good money besides that. There is no doubt they have a right for their own political views and beliefs, though even the open discontent with government’s policy and a radical stand still have to preserve the culture of writing and not let the nihilistic movement take stage when it comes to a good old tradition – the consolidation of the Ukrainian identity in literature. The level of Ukrainian postmodern culture, which is not that high, is not likely to wake some noble upsurges inside the society.
“In my opinion, contemporary writers should continue the literature tradition of Ivan Bahriany, Ulas Samchuk, Viacheslav Lypynsky, and Yevhen Malaniuk.”
Yaroslava TYMOSHCHUK, Ivan Franko Lviv National University:
“The lack of responsibility for what was said or made is one of our biggest society problems. The role of the writer in the nation-making processes was always undervalued in Ukraine. ‘If the nation does not have a leader, then the poets come to lead it!’ Yevhen Malaniuk denied the separation between a writer and social processes. The contemporary writers cannot be accused of social indifference. The question is though, in which way their civic stand is revealed. The poem by Vynnychuk, which drew a wide response among the public, received a feedback that consisted of mostly irony and laughter, and this depresses the energy required for constructive actions. The author’s civic stand has to be in line with the general ethic values. And fighting the government using foul language is like trying to extinguish fire with oil, because all it does is create more chaos. Ukrainian reader is offended because the author appeals to him with curse words.
The Crucified Muse (a two-volume anthology compiled by Vynnychuk) contains poems by nearly three hundred Ukrainian poets of the past century. It is an important book for every Ukrainian, but it looks like people are not eager to work on their self-development, which could lead to a higher standard of culture in society in general. Ukrainian culture has mostly been integrated in the web (that is where the majority of people learned about the poem from). On the one hand, it worked for the benefit of its popularizing, but on the other, it brought down the quality of the content.”
Olesia YAREMCHUK, Ivan Franko Lviv National University:
“Vynnychuk has always been famous not only for his wit, but for his caustic tongue. His poem ‘Thou Shalt Kill’ is a concentrated representation of this style and startling behaviour. ‘Tobacconists (Tabachnyks) rule in their wicked rage, their race has risen like a star above the horizon...’ Ask students about these lines, and they will give you extended comments on these social events. But the form Vynnychuk uses to serve his idea is the problem. The author is always responsible for information he passes on to society. It is a matter of ethics, or even deontology (the study of duty). Foul language that is used by Vynnychuk to talk about all the problems that worry him is a kind of mantra, a cultural meme, a virus that was spread in the society.
“Though the important question, which has been brought up by The Day multiple times, sounds like this: why is it the demand that shapes the supply, and not vice versa? It remains a mystery why such great works as the Anthology of Executed Renaissance by Vynnychuk remain unattended, while ‘fun’ poems like ‘Thou Shalt Kill,’ capture the attention of society?”
Alisa HORDIICHUK, student of the National University “Ostroh Academy”:
“Reading works like ‘Thou Shalt Kill’ for people with fully-shaped minds is not as harmful as it is for those who still have their view of the world not shaped completely. Literature of this kind can lead to changes, and these changes are not always good. Writers have always been distinguished for their ability to sense the social processes more vividly. Being sarcastic about the Soviet regime has played a sad role in many writers’ lives, but their works brought the understanding and important knowledge about life back then to the readers. Instead of taking the experience of previous generations into consideration, modern writers try to compensate the losses of literature of the 20th century through the absence of censorship. And it turns out that we have lost the important things due to the society’s permissiveness.”
AN UNWISELY SPOKEN WORD CAN TURN INTO A TIME BOMB OF SOCIAL DEGRADATION
Alla SADOVNYK, Ivan Franko Lviv National University:
“It is the classics of intellectual thought we should turn to when an important matter arises in the society. ‘You become responsible for what you have tamed,’ Exupery wrote. This is a guideline for the people whom society trusts enough to bring it a level higher than average. It is not about politicians as it is about the real Ukrainian intellectuals (writers, journalists, publishers, philosophers, scholars), people whose opinion is trustworthy. Sometimes even a word that was let out unwisely can turn into a time bomb of social degradation. Therefore, as Bahriany wrote, everyone who takes up a pen (or a keyboard, or a microphone) should realize they have a responsibility before the reader. Ivan Lozoviaha used to think that everything that is poor in spiritual sense, everything that has no justified civic stand, mental enhancement, cannot ever be delivered to the public.
“The conscience of each writer has to establish a certain level of culture. After all, if there is no conscience at all, or it is asleep, it is the critics that should deliver the ‘truth to masses.’ I am not a fan of slang in print, but there are moments when it is required. For example, I think that using obscene language can be justified in works like Muzei Pokynutykh Sekretiv (The Museum of Abandoned Secrets) by Oksana Zabuzhko or Zapysky Ukrainskoho Samashedshoho (Notes of a Ukrainian Madman) by Lina Kostenko. The problem lies within their usage as a way to describe the contemporary realia. From this perspective, we could condemn Vynnychuk for his ‘Thou Shalt Kill,’ but this poem reflects the depth of the tragedy that overwhelmed the Ukrainian nation.
“Why does ‘Thou Shalt Kill’ unite more people than the Anthology? Because in the first case it is bold, it shouts out loud about an urgent matter, it is available for the understanding of everyone without any hard thinking. Maybe this is the lowering of the standard, but everything depends on how you define the ‘lowering.’ The writers should keep this standard high or even raise it, but when a ‘spiritually correct poem’ cannot keep up with this job while ‘Thou Shalt Kill’ provokes discussions that involve critical thinking, why should this not be considered as raising the standard in some way?
“Therefore, if from the moral point of view this poem should be condemned, on the other hand it shows the absurdity of the present-day political puppet show, when a popular TV show host is ‘sent on vacation’ for reciting a poem, or when the police look for those who splashed the bigboards with the image of the president with paint more thoroughly than they look for murderers.”
Yuliana LAVRYSH, Ivan Franko Lviv National University:
“The events that have been happening during the last couple of days make me ponder over the many meanings of the notion ‘the freedom of speech,’ which contains many meanings simultaneously, like the matter of civic stand and manipulating the information.
“Concerning the scandalous poem, here we are facing the problem of the level of culture again. ‘Are curse words prohibited? This is not immoral. They are used in works by many contemporary authors, like Charles Bukovsky or Henry Miller. Their texts are full of curse words. If this is the case for everyone, then half of the worldwide recognized literature can be sued,’ said Vynnychuk. Any web surfer can read this quote on Wikipedia now. I think, we cannot fully condemn the scandalous poem now. First of all, the right to the freedom of speech and individual opinion is still guaranteed by the Ukrainian Constitution. And then, all of Vynnychuk’s works (besides ‘Thou Shalt Kill’ poem) should be considered, and there is no doubt that they play an important role in Ukrainian literature and journalism. Though there is still a question that remains open when contemplating the recent events. What is the right way to strengthen journalist and writer’s style conceptually and contextually? Probably, the decision should be made only when Ivan Franko’s lines ‘Remember that millions depend on you’ are kept in mind.”
