Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam of Troy, is cursed with the gift
of true prophecies that are not believed by anyone. She foretells the
city’s fall should Paris bring Helen as his wife, as well as the
death of several of Troy’s heroes and her family. The classic myth
turns into much more in Lesia Ukrainka’s rendering: Cassandra’s
prophecies are uttered in highly poetic language—fitting for the
genre of the work—and are not believed for that reason, rather than
because of Apollo’s curse. Cassandra as poet and as woman are the
focal points of the drama. Cassandra: A Dramatic Poem encapsulates the
complexities of Ukrainka’s late works: use of classical mythology
and her intertextual practice; intense focus on issues of colonialism
and cultural subjugation—and allegorical reading of the asymmetric
relationship of Ukrainian and Russian culture; a sharp commentary on
patriarchy and the subjugation of women; and the dilemma of the
writer-seer who knows the truth and its ominous implications but is
powerless to impart that to contemporaries and countrymen. This
strongly autobiographical work commanded a significant critical
reception in Ukraine and projects Ukrainka into the new Ukrainian
cultural canon. Presented here in a contemporary and sophisticated
English translation attuned to psychological nuance, it is sure to
attract the attention of the modern-day reader.
Les mer
A Dramatic Poem
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780674291805
Publisert
2024
Utgiver
Harvard University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter