2025 Literatura intensive summer course

Early bird discount available until 27 May!

Throughout its history, Ukrainian literature has struggled for its right to exist against larger powers, chief among which was the Russian Empire, later the USSR, and the Russian Federation as of 2025. Within the eight weeks of LITERATURA, we will discover key authors and look at their writing as not only artistic expression but acts of resistance. From Taras Shevchenko to Tamara Duda, Ukrainians write for the sake of perseverance as much as literature.

Our 8-week online course in Ukrainian literature will take you all the way from the Romantics to the avant-garde, introduce you to the modernists and the dissidents, and shed light on post-modernists and feminists alike, acquainting you with the rich literary scene of contemporary Ukraine.

The course is designed with no expectation of prior knowledge, yet even the more seasoned reader of Ukrainian literature will find plenty to ponder. Each seminar will be delivered by an expert in Ukrainian literature, including leading academics from Ukraine, the UK, and the US. All seminars will be held in English, and all texts will be made available to students enrolled on the course in English translation as well as the original.

A unique chance to learn with lecturers from the world’s best Ukrainian Studies programmes, including literature scholars from Ukraine.
▫ Course handbook and materials, including English translations of texts studied as part of the seminars.
▫ Discussions with lecturers and fellow students.
▫ Access to recorded video lectures.

Course coordinator: Olga Sydorushkina, Programme Curator, the Ukrainian Institute London.

The course will be held via Zoom.

Fees

Full course: £260 general (£180 student) — includes a Certificate of completion, free admission to a supplementary online event TBA, and full course materials.

Friends and Benefactors of the Institute are also eligible for a discount.

Full course: £240 general (£170 student).

Click through below to explore the programme and sign up for individual seminars.

10 June 2025: Freedom’s liberator: Taras Shevchenko and the idea of modern Ukraine with Rory Finnin
17 July 2025: Ukrainian literature in dialogue with Uilleam Blacker
24 June 2025: Ukrainian modernism and feminism with Tamara Hundorova
1 July 2025: Ukrainian dissidents with Bohdan Tokarskyi
8 July 2025: Mykola Kulish: the avant-garde in context with Mayhill Fowler
15 July 2025: Ukraine at war: contemporary prose with Mariia Shuvalova
22 July 2025: The poetic witness: Ukrainian women writing through independence and war
29 July 2025: Russophone writing in Ukraine