Culture

Twentieth-century author Mikhail Bulgakov is seen in 1928.
Culture

What English translations miss about Bulgakov — and why it matters in Ukraine

by Kate Tsurkan

Twentieth-century author Mikhail Bulgakov is celebrated worldwide for his satirical genius and his defiance of Soviet power, most famously through works like "The Master and Margarita" and "White Guard." In Ukraine, his legacy is far more complicated. Rather than being remembered solely as a critic of totalitarianism, Bulgakov is seen by many as a symbol of Russian imperial culture for his hostility toward Ukrainian cultural identity. Born in Kyiv in 1891, Bulgakov grew up speaking Russian an

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Chart of the week: The different paths of Eastern Europe's civil society

In Eastern Europe, shifting global orders have been a lived experience for decades. Just over thirty years ago, the end of communism and the retreat of Russian dominance paved the way for market economies and pluralistic societies, sometimes overnight. Since that rupture, civil society — the organizations that exist in the space between the ordinary citizen and the state — has been integral to the political, social and cultural transformations across much of the region. But that fast-paced chan

Civil Society Participation Index in five Eastern European countries.

About Culture

Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian culture
Ukrainian culture has survived centuries of Russian attempts to appropriate Ukrainian art, silence Ukrainian artists, and erase the Ukrainian language. Modern Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, and musicians — some of whom are serving on the front lines — continue to develop Ukrainian culture and fight for Ukraine’s future.
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