Oksana Zabuzhko
UkraineAbout
Oksana Zabuzhko is a Ukrainian novelist, poet, essayist, and public intellectual, born in Lutsk, Ukraine, in 1960. She studied philosophy at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and earned a doctorate in philosophy of arts, specialising in aesthetics. Her academic background informs her writing, which examines Ukrainian identity, feminism, cultural memory, and the lasting effects of colonialism. Zabuzhko gained international recognition with her groundbreaking novel Field Work in Ukrainian Sex (1996), a bold exploration of female sexuality, gender inequality, and the relationship between personal experience and national identity. Her other major works include The Museum of Abandoned Secrets (2009), an ambitious novel tracing Ukrainian history across generations, and Notre Dame d’Ukraine, a study of writer and intellectual Lesya Ukrainka and her place in Ukrainian cultural history. Her writing combines literary experimentation with philosophical and historical inquiry, challenging dominant narratives and exploring how personal lives are shaped by political forces. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Among her many honours are Ukraine’s Taras Shevchenko National Prize, awarded in 2019, and France’s National Order of the Legion of Honour, awarded in 2023. Zabuzhko remains one of the most influential voices in contemporary Ukrainian literature.
