VOL. 63, BOOK 1, PART C, 2025, pp. 52 – 67 Full text (Ru)
Author: Lyudmyla Romashchenko
Affiliation: Priazovsky State Technical University
Abstract
The article examines Ukrainian–Bulgarian cultural and historical relations within a broad diachronic framework. Special attention is given to the role of prominent figures of Ukrainian culture in Bulgaria, particularly Mykhailo Drahomanov and Lesya Ukrainka. A central focus of the study is the analysis of the Bulgarian theme in the life and works of Konstantin Paustovsky. Drawing on his autobiographical prose and the cycle of essays Bulgarian Encounters, especially the essay “Picturesque Bulgaria”, the article demonstrates how the writer’s personal biography, his Ukrainian roots, and his family mythology, associated with Kazanlak and the Rose Valley, shaped his perception of Bulgaria. The study highlights the synthesis of artistic and philosophical elements in Paustovsky’s Bulgarian essays, as well as his attention to historical memory, folk culture, and landscape.
Key words: Ukrainian–Bulgarian cultural relations; Konstantin Paustovsky; Bulgarian theme; cultural memory; autobiographical prose; national identity
