Reproduction of cultural and religious life in Ukraine during 1917–1921 in memoir literature

The article examines the role of memoirs in depicting the cultural and religious life of Ukraine during the revolutionary years of 1917-1921. The analysis focuses on memoirs written by contemporaries and participants of the Ukrainian Revolution. Memoirists drew attention to the issues of Ukrainian language, literature, art, and education. They depicted the efforts of cultural figures in supporting and developing Ukrainian culture, changes in the cultural environment, and society’s reaction to these changes. The authors of memoirs discuss churches and religious organizations during the revolutionary period, describing the shifts in attitudes toward religion under the influence of political changes, the interaction between the church and political structures, and the persecution of priests and monks by the Bolsheviks. They share their thoughts on the impact of revolutionary events on their personal lives, perception of culture, and religion. The article analyzes the memoirists’ accounts of meetings, communication, and collaboration with other prominent cultural and religious figures, as well as the exchange of ideas, discussions, and joint projects that contributed to the development of cultural and religious life. It is revealed that the memoirs contain information about the state of societal culture and spirituality, including beliefs, customs, traditions, and moral values of that period. In the memoirs of many Ukrainian writers, artists, and other cultural figures, moments of Bolshevik presence are described as a time of creative alienation and pressure on artistic expression. With their rise to power, Ukrainian culture became dependent on the ideology and policies of the new regime, leading to a decline in artistic quality and loss of authenticity. These cultural figures also depict the challenging living and working conditions during the revolutionary period in their memoirs. Many of them were forced to leave Ukraine or go into hiding due to political persecution. This led to a decrease in activity on the Ukrainian cultural scene and a reduction in the number of book publications. Despite the difficult circumstances, Ukrainian cultural figures continued to create and preserve cultural heritage. Many of them actively engaged in collecting and preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage, which suffered significant losses during the revolution. A common tendency in the memoirs of contemporaries of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921 is the personal perspective on events and their impacts on the culture and religion of Ukraine during the periods of the Central Rada, the Hetmanate of P. Skoropadsky, and the Directorate. They provide a historical context and offer readers a unique insight into that period, helping to better understand its significance and consequences for the cultural and religious development of Ukraine.