Sixtiers

The Sixtiers (Russian: Шестидесятники, romanized: Shestydesiatnyky, Ukrainian: Шістдесятники, romanized: Shistdesiatnyky; "people of the 60s") were а new generation of young intellectuals who reawakened literature and a sense of Ukrainian nationalism within the Soviet intelligentsia. The Sixtiers entered the cultural and political life in Ukraine during the USSR era of late 1950s and 1960s and expressed elements of humanism, embracing Western literature, while stressing universal socialism by returning to values of Leninsism.

The Sixtiers arose after the Khrushchev Thaw. Born in Ukraine between 1925 and 1945, their worldviews were formed by a series of tragedies and persecutions including the Holodomor, Stalin's Purges and World War II during childhood. This was followed by political and historical events while many were attending University.

The Sixtiers are often seen as a "group of friends" who had a reawakening of Ukrainian nationalism. They emerged after a period of russification during Stalin and used Khrushchchev's thaw to explore ideals of nationalism and universal socialism. They included writers, literary critics, poets, painters, fashion designers and translators. Sixtiers drew on romantic and realist influences while stressing universal socialism by returning to Lenin's values. After 1964, many of Sixtiers faced persecution and arrest and work was smuggled out through Samvydav or lost until after the fall of the Soviet Union.