Is it Truly so Distant and Unrealistic? The Holodomor Theme on the Pages of the 1930s Chernivtsi Children’s Magazine “Ukrainska Lastivka”

Abstract

The article is primarily dedicated to the coverage of the 1932–1933 Holodomor theme on the pages of the Chernivtsi children’s monthly magazine Ukrainska Lastivka (1933–1940). It also addresses the issues regarding the choice of reading materials for today's youth and their ambiguous reactions to complex and chronologically distant topics such as this one.

It is emphasized that the “Ukrainska Shkola” (Ukrainian School) society, which published Lastivka during the Romanian occupation of the region, deliberately chose a tactic of “cultural reservation”. This society significantly contributed to the formation of the Ukrainian identity among young Bukovinians and the promotion of the idea of national unity (sobornist). To achieve this, every issue of the magazine featured stories about Ukraine’s history and culture, including literature, works by writers from across all Ukrainian territories, and accessible reports on the repressions of the Bolshevik regime. Consequently, publications about the Holodomor formed a crucial ideological and thematic group that fit organically into the magazine's content.

The article examines each of these publications in terms of their content, genre, style, and suitability for children's perception. These include the editorial note A Terrible Time of Hardship in Ukraine (1933), which appealed to children to help their peers suffering from famine in Soviet-controlled territories. The following year, Lastivka published what were likely the first literary works on this theme in children's literature: the allegorical “fairy tale of our days” titled The Fisherman and the Spirit of the Traitor and the realistic short story The Spikes of Grain. These works not only addressed the Holodomor but also condemned collaborationism and the manipulative methods used by Bolsheviks against children. Using the principle of topical allusion, the article also analyzes a later publication of Ivan Franko’s poem The Decree Against Hunger, as well as distinct mentions of the Holodomor in a popular science essay dedicated to Mykhailo Hrushevsky and in the journalistic piece Shevchenko's Grave.

The discussion of this “non-childish” topic proved to be harsh yet meaningful. Initially, children were informed; subsequently, through reading, they gained the opportunity to identify with the victims and mobilize their efforts to support others and educate themselves. In this way, Lastivka consistently fostered an active life stance in its readers. This experience, along with the forgotten materials of the 1930s Chernivtsi children's magazine, is undoubtedly worthy of attention as a manifestation of national resistance.