In June I presented at the RUTA Annual Conference: New Visions and Connections, in Ukraine. My paper was ‘The Literary Imagination: Testimony and Creative practice’. In it I explored global debates on the Holodomor using Lawrence L. Langer’s theories of the literary imagination as a starting point. The claims of art’s importance to bridge literal truth with imaginative reality is central to Langer’s work, and I am applying this to the Jerry Berman collection of witness evidence. My focus is on personal testimony and the digital archive I am creating, due to launch next year.
The panel I presented on focused on surviving, remembering and storytelling. The conference took place at Uzhhorod National University, the other papers were inspiring. I presented alongside three other panellists, chaired by Sasha Dovzhyk, Head of institution at INDEX. Other panels I enjoyed included arts, creative projects, digital archiving, technical work to explore the Russo-Ukrainian war, translation and publishing projects. I moderated a fascinating panel on the final day exploring literature, art and commemoration.
The conference was also an opportunity to visit Uzhhorod for the second time. On my first day I organised a visit to the Scientific Library of Uzhhorod National University which included a tour of the wonderful collections from the Deputy Director Victoria Vorobets and her team. Highlights included a copy of Eneїda, historical maps and materials relating to the history of Uzhhorod.
