What do you think?
Rate this book
The Shore of Expectations. A Study on the Culture of the Ukrainian Shistdesiatnyky
In his monograph Simone Bellezza reconstructs the history of the shistdesiatnyky—the generation of Soviet Ukrainian intellectuals who spearheaded the renaissance of Ukrainian national culture in the 1960s. His analysis begins with the awakening of artistic and literary expression during the so-called Soviet Thaw and describes the varied relationship that Ukrainian artists and writers had with the Soviet authorities until the mass arrests and repressions of intellectuals in January 1972. Dr. Bellezza has consulted a wide range of sources: official and samvydav (samizdat) publications, archival documents (including those preserved in the former archive of the KGB in Kyiv), interviews, and many unpublished sources that were previously ignored in the historiography of the period.
Bellezza presents the movement of the shistdesiatnyky in all of its complexity. It was a fundamental stage in the development of Ukraine as a modern nation but also a typically Soviet phenomenon linked to broader Soviet culture. The shistdesiatnyky, most of whom were born in the 1930s, considered themselves the best products of the Soviet system of education. Consequently their rediscovery of Ukrainian culture did not automatically lead them to reject Russian culture or socialist ideology. They were conscious of the close and complex relations between the Russians and the Ukrainians. Although they condemned the widespread Russian chauvinism that had persisted during from tsarist times into the Soviet era, they retained hope in seeing democratic and libertarian reforms in the USSR.
Bellezza presents the movement of the shistdesiatnyky in all of its complexity. It was a fundamental stage in the development of Ukraine as a modern nation but also a typically Soviet phenomenon linked to broader Soviet culture. The shistdesiatnyky, most of whom were born in the 1930s, considered themselves the best products of the Soviet system of education. Consequently their rediscovery of Ukrainian culture did not automatically lead them to reject Russian culture or socialist ideology. They were conscious of the close and complex relations between the Russians and the Ukrainians. Although they condemned the widespread Russian chauvinism that had persisted during from tsarist times into the Soviet era, they retained hope in seeing democratic and libertarian reforms in the USSR.
352 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
About the author
Simone Attilio Bellezza
8 books5 followersSimone Attilio Bellezza (1978) è professore aggiunto di Didattica della Storia Contemporanea presso l'Università di Trento e di Storia dell'Europa orientale presso l'Università del Piemonte Orientale. Ha conseguito due dottorati di ricerca, uno presso l'Università di Ca 'Foscari di Venezia e uno presso l'Università della Repubblica di San Marino. Il principale ambito di ricerca è la storia del movimento nazionale ucraino, in particolare durante la seconda guerra mondiale e il dissenso nell'Ucraina degli anni 1950 e 1960. Ha studiato vari aspetti del processo di transizione post-sovietica dell'Ucraina, compresa la musica pop e la costruzione di monumento. Ha pubblicato "Il Tridente e la svastica" (2010) sul collaborazionismo ucraino e "Ucraina. Insorgere per la Democrazia" (2014) sulle origini e le conseguenze della euromaidan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 31, 2025
Хороша наукова праця. Корисна перед усім тим, що автором є іноземець, який не має емоційної реакції на згадку про російську культуру та ліві погляди наших шістдесятників, і це робить цю книгу об'єктивнішою. Люди своєї епохи та контексту, які розуміли свою місію та багато що зробили, щоб ми, сьогодні були. Рекомендую!
Read
August 27, 2025книгу написав італієць - тому логічно, що ця книга більше розрахована на іноземців. нового мало, але написано легко
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews