Notes of a Snub-Nosed Mephistopheles

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.

Volodymyr Vynnychenko was a rebellious figure in early 20th-century Ukrainian literature. He sparked numerous intellectual debates while building a remarkable literary and political career. He became a prominent playwright and novelist, and in 1917 headed the General Secretariat of the Central Rada.

Notes of a Snub-Nosed Mephistopheles is a novel of moral experiment, offering one of the first open explorations in Ukrainian literature of relationships between men and women. A man who does not want to be a father seeks to get rid of his child. A woman refuses an abortion. An unwanted child ultimately becomes a psychological refuge for the protagonist. The author tests his credo — “do what you want, as long as you feel no remorse” — and searches for the limits of personal freedom within relationships.