The Stargazer of Drohobych. Novellas and Stories

Nina Bichuia debuted in the 1960s alongside Yevhen Hutsalo, Hryhir Tiutiunnyk and Valerii Shevchuk. This collection includes her most significant works, among them The Stargazer of Drohobych, The Stone Master and A Carpet with Three Flowers.

Like fragments in a kaleidoscope, the book presents moments from Ukrainian history: the Haidamaks driven from Uman to Lviv after defeat, the reign of Prince Danylo of Halych, the life of Lesia Ukrainka and Stalin’s death. Yet the writer focuses less on historical background itself and more on what people living through those moments actually felt, how history shaped them and how individuals see themselves within history. Does fear of a tyrant disappear once the tyrant dies? What might Lesia Ukrainka have truly been like? And how does a writer uncover painful memories from the past?

Historical narratives intertwine with intimate sketches of everyday life, creating a backdrop for reflection on both collective and personal experience.