Death

The “Non-Canonical Canon” series is a way to talk about all those writers we never truly knew — whose texts we read without understanding the reality and context in which they were created. The series brings together a wide range of Ukrainian authors and works, each accompanied by reading guides from Ukrainian literary scholars.

Borys Antonenko-Davydovych was a writer, translator and linguist who was first sentenced to death and later to lifelong exile.

The protagonist of his novella Death is Kost Horobenko, a former member of the Central Rada and the Directorate, who still deliberately speaks Ukrainian. Trying to break and remake himself into a “real” communist he confiscates pianos and books, writes denunciations and struggles to become accepted by the new regime. Yet in his dreams he still sees the woman he loves and he keeps the confiscated books in a separate room as relics of his former life. He is disgusted by the actions he is forced to commit, but despite this inner conflict he continues performing the role of a communist. And to fully become one he must commit the ultimate act — murder.