The Exile: A novel about Taras Shevchenko

by Zinaida Tulub

Zinaida Tulub’s novel The Exile is one of the most brilliant works in the canon of fiction about Taras Shevchenko, the outstanding Ukrainian poet and artist.

The idea of writing about Taras Shevchenko first occurred to her when she was in her thirties, during a period spent living in exile in Kazakhstan (1947-1956). Initially, Tulub worked on the screenplay for a film called Kobzar and Yakin, which can be seen as an early prototype for the novel. She was only able to start work on the latter after her return to Kiev in 1956, when she was granted access to archival material and memoirs. She completed the novel in 1962. Tulub’s primary goal in the novel was to celebrate Taras Shevchenko’s indomitable will and his burning desire to fight for the liberation of the nation, even when he was in exile.

Armed with a wealth of detailed biographical information about Shevchenko, Zinaida Tulub created a thrilling portrait of the poet that is both historically accurate and artistically convincing.

Depicting the first period of Shevchenko’s exile in a detailed, comprehensive manner, Zinaida Tulub adheres strictly to the historical timeline, tracing step by step the path that fate had in store for the exiled poet. She doesn’t leave out a single detail from Shevchenko’s life, adding light and shade to every important moment or turning point along that treacherous path.

Genres: Ukraine

501 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2015

Reviews

[Christine Karren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me fascinating insights into two cultures--Ukranian and Kazakh--about which I previously knew very little. Also the psychological torture endured by Tara Scevchenko as a creative mind in exile is partucularly gripping. I find it poignant that Tulub was herself an exile while writing this book; I think she has written a great message about personal freedom and the bonds between people and the lands of their birth.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taras Shevchenko is an iconic and much-revered Ukrainian artist, poet and multi-talented man of letters, who remains an important symbol of Ukrainian nationalism to this day. The idea of writing about him came to the author when she herself was in exile in Kazakhstan between 1947-1956. She wanted to celebrate his determination to fight for the liberation of his nation even whilst in exile. The book is based on extensive research and adheres to the historical facts, whilst remaining an enjoyable, entertaining and immersive historical novel. Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) was convicted in 1847 of promoting the independence of Ukraine, writing poems in Ukrainian and ridiculing members of the Russian Imperial family. He was exiled to Kazakhstan, condemned to serve in the military and forbidden from writing or painting. It was a brutal life but thanks to sympathetic establishment figures he was able to escape barrack life to live as a civilian and associate with cultured society in Orsk, attending musical evenings and meeting fellow exiles. Part 1 of the book concentrates on these early days of his exile, where he also becomes involved in Kazakh life, meeting a local leader Djantemir, and becoming accepted into Kazakh community life. In Part 2 he is reprieved yet again by meeting Butakov who is planning an exploratory journey to the Aral Sea and gets Shevchenko appointed expedition artist. He makes an album of drawings as a gift to the Tsar, hoping this might gain him a pardon, but the novel ends quite abruptly with no pardon in sight. It’s a wide-ranging and multi-layered novel, and certainly not just about Shevchenko. Life in Kazakhstan is explored in some detail, providing the reader with some fascinating insights into Central Asian existence. Politics come in too, with the 1848 uprisings in France and elsewhere making it even less likely that Shevchenko will receive clemency from the Tsar. There’s much to enjoy here and much to learn. Kazakh life, culture and traditions, conditions for exiles in Central Asia, the preoccupations of the intellectuals banished there and there’s even a love story between two of the Kazakh characters for light relief. Shevchenko comes across as a thoughtful and intelligent man forced to confront Russian autocracy but doing so with courage and grace. The writing is fast-paced and the book well-constructed – although some proof-reading wouldn’t have come amiss – and it’s an absorbing fictional biography. A useful glossary of Kazakh words is appended at the end.

[Margarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew little about Shevchenko's work and life before reading this. I feel like I know quite a bit about his art now, some things about his writing, and very little about his life apart from the few years focused on here. Not a very compelling read, but informative. Lots of typos throughout the Kindle version and an unsettling lack of markers between sections of chapters.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a showdown! And nothing seems to have changed in Russia since the times back then. Still those opposed to the 'tsar' are sentenced to prison camps and tortured.

Despite the perils and hardships there are beautiful moments and moral victories in the book as well as stories of love and friendship. Zinaida Tulub's book is also recommended to those who are interested in Khirgiz culture and the art of the multitalent Taras Shevshenko.

It is however probably a romanticized picture of this man, depicting him as a hero.
I am not a historian, so for me, it was more a story inspired by the biography and not a biography -- and it mainly depicts the period of exile and expedition to lake Aral and an example of a man with multiple talents and experiences, and as such perhaps not recommended if someone wants an unbiased biography.


Quotes:
"In our day it's impossible to be a human being! You have to be a rock! An animal! An executioner!"