Andrii Lahovskyi

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.

Andrii Lahovskyi is an autobiographical novel and one of the key works of Ukrainian modernism, breaking the taboo on publicly discussing topics such as sexual orientation and the right to be oneself.

At the center is an intellectual, scholar and professor who constantly reflects on his inner states, desires and emotions while trying to survive in a traditional society. His homosexuality becomes a crucial element of the narrative. It is a story of duality and loneliness — a search for love and belonging, faith in high ideals that ultimately collapse. Lahovskyi remains bound by tradition and unable to fully rebel, yet still claims his right to remain who he is.