How did Lesia Ukrainka challenge the boundaries imposed by the Russian Empire and establish Ukrainian literature as part of a wider European intellectual tradition? And what makes her legacy so relevant today?

On 4 November, we welcome Oksana Zabuzhko, one of Ukraine’s most internationally recognised writers and intellectuals, for a special lecture on Lesia Ukrainka and her place in European cultural and intellectual history.

A pioneering Ukrainian poet, playwright and feminist, Lesia Ukrainka engaged with European philosophical, literary and political traditions at a time when Ukrainian language and culture faced severe restrictions under the Russian Empire. Her works, including Cassandra, The Forest Song and The Stone Host, explored freedom, power, responsibility and women's agency.

Drawing on her landmark study Notre Dame d’Ukraine and decades of research, Oksana Zabuzhko will examine how Ukrainka challenged imperial cultural boundaries and asserted Ukraine’s place within European literature.

Zabuzhko is the author of Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex, The Museum of Abandoned Secrets, The Longest Journey and numerous essays on Ukrainian culture and history. Her works have been translated into more than 25 languages, and her distinctions include the Angelus Central European Literary Prize, Ukraine’s Shevchenko National Prize and the French Legion of Honour.

The lecture will be followed by a discussion and questions from the audience.

🗓 4 November, 17:00

📍 Ukraine House in Denmark, Strandgade 27B, Copenhagen

The lecture is part of Ukraine’s European History, a series co-organised by Ukraine House in Denmark, the Centre for Modern European Studies (CEMES), HUM:Global, and UCPH Geopolitics at Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen.

The event is held in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute and Betty Nansen Theatre.