To apprehend and to retain a considerable length of time: the memoirs of Sviatoslav Hordynsky

Abstract

The paper covers the subject and genre varieties of memoirs by Sviatoslav Hordynsky. Such genres are highlighted as the memoirs itself, travel writing, diary notes, portrayals of famous artists, letters, obituaries, oral stories, interviews with the author. The main art subject-matter in the memoirs has been accentuated. The travel writing was practiced in his early works, the memories of the Western Ukrainian art processes of the interwar period pertain to the creative period in emigration. The narrative features of the artist’s memories have been traced. Hordynsky’s memoir texts are perceived as an independent proof supported by art history facts. These are not pieces of writing for “own cheek”, albeit works for the future with an intention to record important events and outstanding names for the Ukrainian culture. It has been observed that these memories are not characterized by a fragmentary composition and large forms, but on the contrary, the author structures logical texts, elaborates on compositional links, usually analyzes in small non-fiction forms. The writer practices an autobiographical attitude of testimony rather than confession, so the subjectivism of narration is not expressive. There is a great intermedial potential of texts. Sviatoslav Hordynsky’s memoirs can serve as a documentary material for art history and reveal the secrets of the artist and writer’s work. These texts clarify the intentions of the artist’s appeal to literature and represent a holistic vision of the artist’s personality.