Literature and Politics in the Context of Democratic Transformations in Independent Ukraine

Abstract

The quality of people’s lives depends on politics institutions’ authorities pursue at different levels. Notwithstanding the fact that Ukraine is an independent state, democratic processes taking place within the Ukrainian society can hardly be called smooth and transparent. Literature, particularly, sheds light on challenges of the times though not always explicitly. Connections can be traced between literature and human prosperity which is impossible either without people hearing each other because this leads to a genuine civic conversation. It is under these conditions that democracy is enabled. Values of civil society are promoted through empathy, considered the building-block of social justice, whose lack causes the aggravation of marginalization. Empathy is exercised through reading which amplifies liberal democracy. The paper endeavours to show that literature itself and the situation with literature are the indicators of the effectiveness of democratic processes. It is presupposed that society is still in trouble due to the current tendency concerning literature. However, there have already been positive trends in recent years in Ukraine and we will also be dealing with them here.