Cultures and Nations of Central and Eastern Europe || Text and Subtext in Roman Ivanychuk's "Mal'vy"

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Text and Subtext in Roman Ivanychuk's "Mal'vy"Author(s): ASSYA HUMESKY, Oksana Nagayets and Volodymyr DibrovaSource: Harvard Ukrainian Studies, Vol. 22, Cultures and Nations of Central and EasternEurope (1998), pp. 283-291Published by: Harvard Ukrainian Research InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41036742 .

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Text and Subtext in Roman Ivanychuk's Mal'vy

ASSYA HUMESKY

The goals of the historical novelist are different from those of the historian, who usually tries to describe the course of events with utmost precision, providing dates, names of characters, circumstances, and so on. The author of historical novels always provides his or her own interpretation, or worldview, and consciously or not draws parallels to his or her own times.

The novel Mal'vy1 by Roman Ivanychuk, conceived at the beginning of the 1960s and published late in the decade, is no exception.2 The novel is set in Crimea and Turkey on the eve of the KhmeFnytsTcyi rebellion, but it is full of reflections that are relevant to our times. In his article "Iak ia shukav svoï 'Mal'vy'" (How I Searched for My 'Mal'vy'), the author indicates that he had consciously chosen this particular period to illustrate his ideas:

51 3aayMaB y3JiTHCJi 3a npau,io, b mitt 6h Mir Aara bojiio po3AyMaM Ha# Aojiümh iMnepiñ, ükí HeMHHyne npHxoflJm> ao yna^Ky, Haß HeMHHynicTio npoóyflaceHHfl mojioahx HapoAiß, Haa npHHHHaMH THMnacoBHX nepeMor, a Teat HeBAan y 6opoTb6i 3a bh3bojichhä 3-nÍA ny;>KO3eMHoro flpMa. Bo caine Hi npouecH cTaHOBJiüTb cyTb icTOpiï HapoAiß npoTüroM öaraTbox THCÄHOJliTb.3

As to the specific choice of material, the author was guided by his interest in the processes by which "a leader is molded" and "the apostate regains his faith." Hence the author chose this particular time period:

fl 3HattiuoB b icTOpiï yicpaÏHCbKoro HapoAy Ayate baühhhíí bíathhok nacy, üKHft Aoci He 6yB BÍAo6pa«:eHHíi b íctophhhía poMaHicTHqi - âccüthjiítt^ "3OJIOTOÏ BOJii" nojibCbKoï uiJi^xTH Vi 6e3reTbMaHCTBa Ha YKpami.4

* *

*

The main story line of the novel follows the life of Mariia, Hetmán Samiilo's wife, who is taken prisoner by the Tatars along with her son and daughter. Another son is kidnapped by Gypsies and is sold to Tatars in Crimea. In order to save her life, Mariia converts to Islam, which makes it possible for her to earn some money and eventually return to her homeland. Unaware of his background, the son who was sold by Gypsies to the Tatars becomes a guard in the khan's palace. When he learns of his origins, he joins the Cossacks and dies a hero's death fighting the Tatars. The other son becomes a janissary and consciously serves on the enemy side. But treason does not save him and in the



284 HUMESKY

end he dies in disgrace. Mania's daughter Mal'va falls in love with the khan, becomes his favorite wife, and bears him a son. MalVa believes that she can convince her husband to help the Cossacks, but her naive hope is not fulfilled, and in despair she poisons herself, her husband, and her son. These story lines are intertwined with many others, in which the figures of Turkish sultans, Nur- Ali - the head of the janissaries, and the eunuch Zambuí - a cunning diplomat and a greedy egoist - come to life. We see the feeble minded sultan Ibrahim, unable to rule the empire, carried by the course of events to the very height of power, only to be mercilessly hurled into the abyss later on. We see the wise grand vizier, Azzem Pasha, a true patriot of Turkey, who is unable to prevent the collapse of the Sublime Porte, corroded as it is from the inside by the disease of mutual hatreds and intrigues, and above all by a misguided concept of politics. The figure of the wise old man, Meddah Omar (meddah is Turkish for "poet, singer, storyteller") stands out against the background of other characters. He knows the Koran by heart, which has earned him the honorary title of hafiz. Ornar seems to stand somewhat apart from the mainstream events of the novel, but he actually is one of its central characters.5 The author expresses his deepest feelings and thoughts through Omar's character. In addi- tion to representatives of the Ottoman Empire, KhmeFnytsTcyi appears with his Cossacks in the last part of the novel, as do Polish magnates, and Khmel'nytsTcyi's treacherous allies, the Tatars. The novel ends with the defeat of the Ukrainian side, although Turkey barely makes any gain from the Polish victory over the Ukrainian hetmán. There is no discussion about the future of Poland - only the letter from Khmel'nytsTcyi to the "Crimean tsar" is quoted as saying: "Ko3aijTBO to6í 6iJibine He BipHTb. 111,0 «• flo Mockbh, 3 moio mh BCTynHJiH B Apy^cóy, to ije õaâHH^ BiftcbKa Moro i Moe. IIpaBOCJiaBHa Pycb He 3pa#HTb Hac."

Behind the text lies an eloquent subtext. For example, in his conversation with Mariia, a dervish tries to prove the superiority of Islam over all other religions, saying:

MaroMeT xe Ka3aB: "Kojih bcì HapoflH npHftMyrb icjiaM, to/jí no^BHTbCü óoatHtt nocjiaHHHK Maxfli, ükhä 3poÓHTb ycix Jiiofleií píbhhmh." Hhhí óijibiue Hiac nojiOBHHa CBÍTy BH3Hajia Hamy Bipy, i HeAajieKHtt toa nac, kojih

3pÍBHJHOTbCÜ BCÌ. . ,BÍfl CyJITaHa flO peMÍCHHKa.6

The allusion to the communist doctrine of the equality of all people and the belief in the future rule of communism throughout the world is clear. Else- where the author describes, using Mariia as his mouthpiece, the full meaning that such a victory would have for the world's nations and for Ukraine in particular:

Ta HeBÄe MycyjibMaHCbKa ßipa Mae cTaTH cahhoio b cbítí? I po3ÍJiJieTbc.a CTpauma qyMa no bcíx Kpaax, i bcì HapoflH CTaHyTb cxoähmh Ha TypKÌB ... I He 6yae niceHb, He 6yae Ka3OK, He CTaHe KynajibCbKHX BormB, BepTeniB nia PÌ3#bo, bojiì! Hìxto Hinoro He MaTHMe CBoro. . ?



ROMAN IVANYCHUK'S MAL'VY 285

The theme of "the confluence of all nations" sounds even more ominous coming from Omar:

U,e BejiHKe rope Haiuoro HapOAy, BÌ3Hpio, nonajiocji 3 (J)ajibiiiHBOÏ AorMH, 6yi^ÌMT0 He Moace 6yTH pi3HHx HapoAiß Ha jiohì icjiaMy. Ckìjilkh Kpoßi MapHo npojiHJioca bo ím'ji uboro AorMaTy, a ino bhhuijio? TaTapn 3aJiHuiHJiHCH TaTapaMH, TOHHiuie - o3Jio6jieHHMH TaTapaMH, õojirapH i

rpeKH icjiaMy He npHHHJuiH. Majio Toro; b 6opoTb6i npoTH Haïuoï iMnepiï BOHH 3MÌU.HÌJ1H flyxoBHO, i po3njiaTa HaA TypKaMH HeMHHyna.8

The loss of the native language is another painful problem for the Ukrainian people which remains unresolved even today. Through russification, the communist regime attempted to create a "Soviet man" who would speak a "univer- sal language" and forget the national essence that had been branded "bourgeois nationalism." Ivanychuk raises this theme in his novel as well:

Ajiìmobì [Mal'va's brother - AH] noTpi6m 6yjiH HOBa Bipa i MOBa, bíh

p03yMÍB ue. ToMy nepecTaB mojihthch no-MaTepHHCbKOMy. Bo mo 3 hhx, thx MOJiHTOB, KOJiH TyT íhiiihh 6or, i bía uboro 6ora bíh sajie^KHTb?9

The imposition of one way of thinking on everyone, dictated from above, is a feature of all totalitarian regimes threatened by "original thinkers"; these individuals are either destroyed or locked away in insane asylums. In Ivanychuk' s novel we read about the dervish threatening Mariia:

Kojih m 6o nocMieui He npHHTH ck>ah Ha koähc pamiime i BenipHe 6orocjiy;>KÍHH.a, HapeneMO Te6e 6e3yMHOio, i bík cbíh CKOpoTaeiu y TiMapxaHe [i.e., an insane asylum - AH]. Bo 6e3yMHHH toh, xto He BipHTb 6AHHÍH npaBAi Ha 3eMJii.10

Earlier, on hearing about the future "equalization" of all people under Islam, Mariia revealed her opinion on the essence of such collectivism by saying that "HixTO mnoro He MaraMe CBoro." Now she proudly opposes the spiritual and intellectual enslavement that this "only truth on earth" implies, saying: "^ ÄHBy TaK, m bcjihtl tbío 6or, 6o BHxoAy iHiuoro He MaK)...A Ay Mara He 3a6opOHHIH. I HÍXTO He MO)Ke 3a6opOHHTH AyMaTH JIIOA^M HÍ TH, HÍ MyjIJia, hí tbíh MaroMeT."11

Much reflection in the novel is devoted to the theme of power and imperial leadership. The first chapter begins with an epigraph taken from the Koran:

Xi6a BH He xoAHJiH no 3eMJii i He óanHJiH, jikhh 6yB ïx KÍHeub? ByjiH bohh

MoryTHbOK) CHJioK), ajie ajuiaxa minp He MO^Ke ocjiaÕHTH hí Ha He6i, hí Ha 3eMJii (Koran, 35th Sura, prophetic).

With regard to Soviet power, Ivanychuk' s use of this sura appears to have been indeed prophetic. The author's thoughts on this subject are expressed further through the character of Omar. Because of their continued relevance in the present day, I shall quote them in their entirety:



286 HUMESKY

Mi>K öaâHH^M AepâBH i óaacaHHüM JiioAeH icHye BÍHHa cynepenmcTb. Ajie npH p03yMHHx, Aoõpnx i bhchhx npaBHTejiux i'si npipBa Taita By3bKa, mo ïï MOÄHa 3aB^cAH nepecTynHTH. 111,0 tk CTajioca y Hac? flo Toro nacy, noKH cjiaBa 3aBOK)BaHHü 6yjia cnijibHoio MeToio AepacaBH i HapoAy, HapoA He uiKOflyBaB cBoro ähtth rjiä cjiaBH. IIotím OAHa jiioAHHa B3ajia BJiaAy b cboï pyKH, HapoA noTpanHB y 3ajie^KHÍcTb ao eAHHOBJiaAUfl. OAHa jiioAHHa 3a bcíx AyMaTH ne Moxe, BOHa BnaAae b itomhjikh, AyMKH míjibhohíb He

MO^yTb 3ÓÍraTHC^ 3 AyMKOK) OAHÍei JIIOAHHH. I 3BÍACH IIOHHHaeTbCil Ta

KpH3a, npo aicy th roBOpHB. CAHHOBJiaAenb nparHe ao pO3KOiuÍB, i BHTpaTH nepeBHmyíoTb npHÓyTKH. Bíh xone cjiaBH j'j'%. ce6e i 3aB0H0Bye nyad 3eMJii. KoacHa nyâ 3eMjm cnoBHioe jiioa TpHBoroio, 6o toaí aturra «oro b nocTÍiíHÍH He6e3neui. HapoA xone cnoKoio, a He ny^HX 3eMejib, ̂ kí He AaioTb HOMy hí paAOCTi, hí xjiióa. BojioAap npHMyíuye niAAaHHx BoiOBaTH, i niAAaHi HepaAO npojiHBaioTb KpOB 3a Te, mo ím He noTpiÕHe. BojioAap 3AHpae noAaTKH Ha BoeHHi BHTpaTH, JiioACbKe MaHHO nepeöyßae niA nocTÍHHOio 3arpo3OK), jiiOAH BTpanaioTb öa^KaHHü jxjix fioro npHAÕaHHJi. A óaraTCTBo AepÄaBH 3ajie;>KHTb bía ocoÓHCToro óaraTCTBa jiioach. Ticino Horo b HHX HeMae, - 3bíakh BÍ3bMeTbca b AepâBH? Kojih HapoA npHrHineHHH, - CKapÖHHi^^ nopojKHü . . . 12

There are many examples of such subtext in Ivanychuk's novel. Turkey is described as a country of spies, as a police state where behind every door there is an eavesdropping "stool pigeon." In the janissary barracks, every fifth bed is occupied by a eunuch who has been ordered to listen to what the soldiers are mumbling in their sleep. The government makes an interesting exception: although the janissaries are allowed to sing in their native languages in the barracks, people are seized and dragged to jail for telling political jokes. This is how the grand vizier Azzem Pasha comments on this situation:

OtOH 6ÍAHHH peMiCHHK i Ü, HaHBHIUHH AepâBHHH CaHOBHHK, OÖHABa oAHaKOBo po3yMÍ6MO Bee, mo AieTbCü hhhí, ajie hí bíh, hí ü He MoaceMO

npoTecTyBaTH. HaBnaKH, Ha cboï kouith h cboïmh CHJiaMH BJiaiiiTOByeMO ijen napaA, a b Aymi cmícmoc^ . . . 13

And here is an excerpt from the janissaries' army oath:

Bh rBapAia cyjiTaHa. Bh oxopOHa iMnepiï. ByAbTe tíahhmh 3BaHHJi iieHi-Hepi i He 3a6yBaHTe, mo HaHJiiOTimi Bam i BoporH - öojirapcbKi raftAyKH, cepócbKi ycKOKH, rpeubKi KJie4)TH i yKpamcbKi KO3aKH.14

It is appropriate to recall here the mark of the "Mazepist" traitors, which for centuries some have seen as a stain on the Ukrainian people. In his article "Iak ia shukav svoï 'MalVy,'" the author mentions that he was "interested above all in the psychology of the traitor." He shows how "history takes revenge on the treacherous ally - who in this historical period is Khan Islam Giray III." At the same time, the author admits that he admires the khan for his courage and "most importantly, his audacity in breaking free from the Sublime Porte forever." Ivanychuk reports that he "was facing the danger of developing an




involuntary affection for [his] protagonist." Moreover, because of his fondness for the character, he found himself "willing to find excuses for his threefold betrayal of the hetmán."15 Later he realized that the khan had two "hy- postases" - a knight and a two-faced traitor - because that was how he had been raised. Whether or not it is the author's intent, his fondness for the character comes across to the reader. Moreover, it leads one to wonder whether a parallel is being drawn here to Mazepa. In the novel, Khan Islam Giray responds to KhmernytsTcyi's request to become his ally in the fight against the Poles by saying: "Ajie jk th ni/jflaHHft Kopojia i 3paflÄyem fioro. 3BÌ/JKH ä Mo;acy 3HaTH, mo ne 3paflnui MeHe?" Khmernytsicyi replies:

He MO)KHa Ha3HBaTH 3paAOK>, xaHe, npaBe/jHy 6opoTb6y. FeTbMaH

flopoiueHKO He BBaacaB UlariH-Fipeji 3paflHHK0M, kojih toh nonaß

cnpaßeAJiHBy BifiHy npOTH Ka(J)CbKoro naiui i KaHTeMÍpa-Myp3H. 3paAHTH MOÄHa 6aTbKa, Ta He ryÖHTejm CBoro. A Ha Yicpami jiüACbKe THpaHCTBo ripuie MyHHTejibCTBa 4>apaoHÍB.16

Among the characters of the novel there are also "contemptible" traitors such as the janissary Alim, apostates like Selim who eventually regain their faith, and people like MalVa who sincerely believe in their ability to cooperate with the enemy, but who realize over time that it is impossible. As these characters are developed, so is a certain attitude toward Ukraine, a philosophy of apostasy that can be narrowed down to the following formulas: first, there is no Ukraine and never will be (Straton); second, it is more convenient to live with the enemy and to adopt his faith (Andrii-Alim); third, you may betray for the sake of your children (Mania); and fourth, the prideful will die.

Mal'vy is filled with descriptions of human suffering and psychological distress. In his article describing how he wrote the novel, the author tells us: "One historical novelist started yelling at me: 'Who needs this dwelling on human suffering, despair, spiritual plunges, and painful disillusionment on the eve of the Khmernytsicyi rebellion that turned out to be so gloriously success- ful?'"17 To this criticism Ivanychuk responds that a nation must go through seven circles of hell to achieve such a victory, and that in his novel, "the hetmán or leader was not supposed to be the protagonist." Rather, he wanted to show "how a hetmán is born from a national tragedy." Therefore, Khmernytsicyi is an "episodic character" who evokes admiration and respect when he leads his army to triumph, but who ultimately loses both in his unsuccessful diplomatic game. Ivanychuk condemns the hetmán through the song of a Ukrainian woman who is taken prisoner by the enemy:

BoAaft Toro XMejibHHUbKoro Ta nepBa Kyjm He MHHyjia. . . 18

The author reiterates his condemnation with an epigraph from Shevchenko in one of the novel's final chapters:



288 HUMESKY

ïïk 3anpoflaB ren>MaH Y üpMO XpHCTH^H, Hac nocjiaB noraH^TH, Ilo cboïh no 3eMJii CbOK) KpOB pO3JIHJIH 1 3api3ajiH 6paTa. . . 19

It is not surprising that the censoring authorities did not like this treatment of the glorious hetmán, which the author did not even attempt to disguise in the subtext. When we do turn to the subtext, however, we find not only a dismissal of KhmernytsTcyi's policies, but also disillusionment about whether any "hetmán or leader" will become the nation's savior. The author depicted his ideal individual in the character of the "holy man" Omar, who sacrifices his own life to set a heroic example for his people. This ideal is also found in the legend of the powers of wormwood,20 and in the description of the heroic death of 300 Cossacks who were trapped in a cave when the Tatars lit a fire in front of it to asphyxiate and burn them. The theme of sacrificial death for the sake of the nation is similar to the Christian concept of Christ's sacrifice for all humanity. It therefore can be viewed as a type of religious theme.

Herein lies the most important subtext of the novel: the idea that the nation - the Ukrainian nation - will achieve its salvation by returning to the Christian faith. Thematically, this idea is connected with the figure of Mariia, whom the author describes as the personification of "the nation's vitality and immortality." Mariia is deeply troubled by her conversion to Islam. When the dervish rips the cross from around little Mal'va's neck and makes her stomp on it, Mariia whispers in dismay: "God forgive me!" In Mariia' s memory, Ukraine is always associated with the sound of church bells ringing. The scene in which Mariia meets Omar on the street at a time of day when all believing Muslims kneel to pray is indicative of the religious quality of Mariia' s character. Old Omar does not kneel, but only raises his eyes up to the sky, and at that moment "3flajiocji Mapiï, mo uà jiioAHHa 6a*iHTb Bora. OToro Bora, jikhm

TopryioTb Bei Ha cbítí, He 3HaiOHH fioro, Toro Bora, jikhh e

HaöcnpaBÄHiciHbKOio npaBflOK), bìhho 3HeBa;*:eHoio i óescMepraoio."21 And Omar himself says: "Hi 3a mo ne njiara CBoeio Bipoio i cobíctio. Bor cahhhh flJIÜ BCix HapOAÌB i npHHMae BÌH MOJIHTBH 3 pÌ3HHX XpaMiB i pÍ3HHMH MOBaMH, aÖH TÌJIbKH BOHH 6yJIH IUHpHMH, aÓH TÌJIbKH flO HHX He TOpKHyBCü 6pyfl KopncTOJiioócTBa."22 This philosophy of uniting people on religious and spiritual principles is expressed throughout the novel, and is especially connected with the image of Mariia, whose very name is symbolic. In one scene, Mariia comes to a Christian church for the first time after many years of suffering. It is a church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in a cavern. In it hangs an icon of the Virgin said to have been brought by the Apostle Andrew as he "announced God's grace" over that place:

Uß He 6yjia 3BHHatfHa iKOHa Eoacoï MaTepi, my He pa3 6aHHJia b ijepiiBax. 3i CKejii Ha K)p6y 3HeflOJieHHX moneti flHBHJiaca 3a«:ypeHa admta 3 «hthhoio




Ha pyKax. O6a6in Heï ctoüjih Aßa mojioahx hojiobìkh 3 HÍMÓaMH HaA

rojioBaMH, i 3OBCÍM He 6yjiH bohh cxoad Ha cbüthx, paAuie Ha AOpocjiHX CHHÍB UÎeï CKOpOHOÏ MaTepL23

Mania identifies with this "sorrowful woman" and says, sobbing: "Th BÓeperjia! Th BÕeperjia!" and at that moment "npojiyHaB aHrejibCbKHH xop, mo 3anoBHHB yen) AOJiHHy, Becb cbít, i HapoA niflxonHB nicHio pÍ3HHMH MOBaMH Ha OAHH MOTHBi 'FIpecB^Taji BoropoAHiê, cnacH Hac!'" Clearly, the author sees the true revival and redemption of Ukraine in Christianity, with its profound humanism and its ideal of sacrificial love for all people.

Translated from the Ukrainian by Oksana Nagayets and Volodymyr Dibrova



290 HUMESKY

NOTES

1. Malva is the Ukrainian word for "hollyhock" as well as a female name.

2. The novel was published in Kyiv in unusually rapid succession by two publishing houses: Dnipro (1968) and RadiansTcyi pys'mennyk (1969), both in large press runs. Curiously, when the book was announced in 1968 by Mezhdunarodnaia kniga prior to its publication, it was titled Janissaries (Ianychary). In explaining how he wrote the novel, Ivanychuk never mentions this title, but spends much time describing his search for the title Mal'vy. Roman Ivanychuk, Chystyi metal liuds'koho slova (Kyiv, 1991), pp. 195-96; the chapter is entitled "Iak ia shukav svoï 'Mal'vy.'"

3. Ibid., p. 193.

4. Ibid., p. 194.

5. He is somewhat reminiscent of the "holy man" - a kobzar (bard) - in Panteleimon Kulish's novel Chôma rada.

6. Roman Ivanychuk, Mal'vy (Kyiv, 1969), p. 70.

7. Ibid., p. 70.

8. Ibid., p. 139.

9. Ibid., p. 61.

10. Ibid., p. 21.

11. Ibid., p. 71.

12. Ibid., pp. 128-29.

13. Ibid., p. 48.

14. Ibid., p. 63. 15. Ivanychuk, Chystyi metal, pp. 198-99. 16. Ivanychuk, Mal'vy, p. 186.

17. Ivanychuk, Chystyi metal, p. 197. In his foreword to the collection Chystyi metal liuds'koho slova, Mykhailo SlaboshpytsTcyi writes about the lashing Ivanychuk took for his Mal'vy, citing the following excerpt from a critical review by the Moscow literary critic Valentin Oskotskii:

The historical concreteness of the narrative is lost in the stream of romantic, symbolic, and allegorical images. The romanticized belletristic writing of history backfires with the shift of social crite- ria and the mise valuation of the class processes. Focused on the historical past of the Ukrainian nation, in the end the novel offers neither an artistic piece of research, nor an analytical exposure of actual conflicts discovered by the author in the dialectics of socially motivated characters and circumstances. The novel is rather a collection of "variations on a theme" presented as a romantic legend




about love for one's homeland, which severely punishes for treason and generously rewards for loyalty, (pp. 5-6)

In his article "Dominanta," dedicated to Ivanychuk on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, SlaboshpytsTcyi recalls: "The banning of Mal'vy made him famous in Ukraine . . . After the publication of the novel, Ivanychuk found himself the center of attention of both the censors and the readers." And further: "Ivanychuk in his Mal'vy began as a writer whose primary concern was to record the nation's vision of its past, its suppressed pain and tragedies. That is when the janissary motif appeared in his work - a motif which, when applied to more recent times, acquired a wider and quite a contemporary significance . . . This proves that we deal here with one of those rare instances in which a piece of literature, delving into the specific context of national culture, has defined or crys- tallized in it some uniquely significant feature (in this instance, unfortu- nately, a particularly negative one)." Mykhailo Slaboshpyts'kyi, "Dominanta," Literaturna Ukraïna 10 June 1999: 5.

18. Ivanchuk, Mal'vy, p. 226.

19. Ibid., p. 213.

20. In Ukrainian folklore, wormwood is a magical herb having the power to restore the memory of one's homeland.

21. Ivanychuk, Mal'vy, p. 72.

22. Ibid., p. 73.

23. Ibid., p. 98. The image of the Theotokos is discussed later, when the head mullah - Shaikh al-Islam Rehel - suddenly notices how in the mosque "Kpi3b 3OJ1OTO jiiTep npocTyriHB cHJiyeT XpHCTOBOÏ MaTepi, 3aMajibOBaHHft me 3a naciß MaroMeTa 3aBOftOBHHKa." The mullah whis-

pers in fear: "me3HH!...III10Tenep He BÕHTa ïï iKOHa - HeÄHBe MajibOBHJio Ha ctíhí Meneii, to xi6a 3yMÍJiH mh bóhth ïï b cepuflx HapoAÍB?" (p. 170).



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Cultures and Nations of Central and Eastern Europe || Text and Subtext in Roman Ivanychuk's "Mal'vy"