Creating the Image of the Other in Ukrainian Literature of the 21st Century

ABSTRACT: An imagological research in literature is important as the writers create the images of the other countries for their compatriots. Moreover, those images are to stay in collective memory through the years. It is also necessary to focus on the details, which are depicted in the literary works to understand what creates the universal image of a nation and people. Currently travel literature becomes more and more popular in Ukraine and many authors work in the genre of travelogue. To analyse the trends of actual national images of other countries in Ukrainian contemporary literature the literary pieces of three celebrated Ukrainian writers were taken. The images of Germany, Latin America and the Balkans are represented in the books written by A. Kuzmenko, M. Kidruk and A. Lyubka. It should be noted that all the analysed literary works are the bestsellers. It means that an imagological research deals with the national images, perceived by thousands of the Ukrainians. Furthermore, literature can construct some new national stereotypes of represented nations and destroy some old stereotypes of those nations in the minds of Ukrainian readers. Such a scientific investigation can make it easier to understand the way how cultural artefacts can influence the perception of nations in the period of fast globalization. KEYWORDS: imagology, the Other, stereotype, contemporary literature, travel literature