Companions. Novellas

The “Non-Canonical Canon” series is a way to talk about those we did not know, whose texts we read without understanding the context of their time. It brings together a wide range of Ukrainian authors and their works. Each text is accompanied by reading guides by Ukrainian literary scholars.

The stories of Olena Pchilka are beautiful sketches of life among wealthy Ukrainian families, the urban and provincial elite and the social order of estates and manors at the end of the 19th century.

Visits, balls, concerts and club gatherings often served to arrange advantageous marriages for young women, while also supporting national traditions, spreading Ukrainian ideas, and fostering the early development of women’s higher education. Among these are the first Ukrainian women to study alongside their peers and pursue medical degrees in Switzerland.

In her urban narratives, Olena Pchilka brilliantly dismantles stereotypes, sometimes undercuts pathos, reveals double standards and explores the deeper psychological motivations behind her characters’ actions.