Childhood in the Shadow of War: Escapism in Ukrainian Children’s Literature on the example of O. Rusin’s novel Apricots Bloom at Night

• In Event: Escape to the Past: Escapist Trend in Ukrainian Fiction of the Turn of the 20th-21st Centuries

Abstract

The paper will focus on elements of escapism in Ukrainian children’s literature, centering on Ola Rusina’s novel Apricots Blossom at Night (2022).The chapter will explore how the alternative reality, based on memories, shapes the protagonist’s image, his sense of agency, and his capacity for action. Additionally, it will delve into the metaphorical imagery within the novel and situate it within the wider context of Ukrainian children’s literature about war.

Author

• Katarzyna Jakubowska-Krawczyk, U of Warsaw (Poland)