Ukrainian literature

The term Ukrainian literature (Ukrainian: Українська література) is normally used to describe works of literature written in the Ukrainian language. In a broader sense it can also relate to all literary works created in the territory of Ukraine.

Ukrainian literature mostly developed under foreign domination over Ukrainian territories, foreign rule by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Poland, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Romania, the Austria-Hungary Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, enriched Ukrainian culture and language, and Ukrainian authors were able to produce a rich literary heritage.

Ukrainian literature can be traced back to Kievan Rus' when Rus' chronicles and Epic poetry were written in Old Church Slavonic and Church Slavonic. Oral folktale also appeared at the time. Old Church Slavonic was divided into Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian. Ukrainian culture was thriving under the rule of Ukrainian Cossacks. But after the collapse of Kievan Rus', it was divided into an eastern and western part in terms of politics. From the 19th century, Ukrainian literary works started to be written in a colloquial form. Poems, novels, plays, and other works were published. Following the trend, Ukrainian nationalist and independence movements started to grow. The Russian Empire and the following Soviet Union, however, often suppressed and restricted the use of the Ukrainian language, methods of expression, and literary subjects.