Center for American Literary Studies in Ukraine 

CALSU was organized due to Shevchenko Institute of Literature Directorate's initiative and at patronage of the US Embassy for Ukraine in October, 2005. The Center Regulations, Statute have been approved, the Research Council, representatives in regions have been organized, the International Consultative Council has been formed. Activity of the Center took place in compliance with the plans set at the Center start-up conference, coordinated with the management of the Institute, financially supported due to the Grant Federal Assistance Award number SUP300006 GR154.
9 sessions of American Literature School took place during 2006. Study of literature of Romanticism has been completed – sessions focused on work of the leading figures of American romanticism N.Hawthorne, H.Melville, W.Whitman, E.Dickinson, Romantics of the Southern School, as well as those who were earlier attributed to «marginals» of the age of Romanticism (Negro, Indian, Latin-American authors of those days, female authors, humorists, dramatists), took place (January-June) at active participation of the «students». The «problem range» for the summarizing Romanticism symposium planned for the first half of 2007 has been defined and suggested for further consideration and clarification of presentations topics.
At the beginning of the new «study year» – in September, 2006 – attention has been focused on the post-war (after the Civil War) period and the verge of the 19th and the 20th centuries, i.e. the time of intensive forming of the nation, of urbanization and industrialization. Attention is concentrated on the leading nationally significant figures (Mark Twain), on features of the American literary process, its ambiguity, polyphony, the complicated «coexistence» of realism, impressionism, naturalism, symbolism, verismo in its «body», theoretical discussions and practical aesthetic achievements. Howells, Garland, Norris, Crane, Adams were the focus of the monthly sessions in autumn. We plan to keep up this activity till June, 2007, paying major attention to H.James, the status of poetry, female voices, sprouts of multiculturalism, socially oriented literary trends and phenomena.
Students of our School quite actively use the opportunity to improve their professional level and willingly attend courses of lectures that are – already traditionally – delivered by American Fulbright Professors in Ukraine. I cannot but mention here the extraordinarily fruitful activity of Philip Cavalier and his deserved «successor» Daniel Belgrade.
We can state that due to systematic creative meetings and efforts of the senior generation (I mean the Professors N.Vysotska, N.Zhluktenko), the real «American studies» core of the School has been formed – O.Gon, O.Dubinina, G.Stembkovska, G.Pokydko, O.Starshova, N.Shpylyova, A.Rozova, T.Lazarenko, T.Stovbun, N.Bidasyuk, many others – which is extraordinarily pleasant. The more so that this «core» absolutely logically includes experts in other literatures who actively and fruitfully cooperate with us – Y.Pavlenko, S.Yakovenko, O.Babych. Moreover, I am very pleased (or, maybe, even proud) to emphasize that this «core» is today made up by no longer beginners, but Candidates of Sciences, or those who have actually completed their work on Candidate's dissertations and are getting ready to defend their theses. Defense of the Candidate's dissertation by L.Kazakova (Slavyansk) took place in 2006. Candidate's dissertations by G.Pokydko (Kyiv), O.Starshova (Mykolaiv), N.Bidasyuk (Khmelnytsky), N.Shpylyova (Cherkasy) have been recommended for defense.
It is also very positive that future Doctors of Sciences do not abandon creative links with our community and that we are «growing» due to inclusion of young amateurs of American literature from various cities of Ukraine.
We hope that in the future we will – due to joint efforts – manage to organize activity of the School interestingly and fruitfully, already guided by maturity and the growing skills of our «students».
As it was planned, we have not only published the second volume of our year-book, sent it to libraries in Ukraine and to experts, but we have duly represented it to the research community, and detailed information about this event is published in issue 10 of the «Slovo I Chas» journal containing actually complete record of the presentation, during which actuality of the modern perspective of key issues of literary history and Enlightenment in particular, and not only American one, was accentuated. Positive feedback to our products is informed from various cities of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, from individual experts, specialists in Ukrainian, Slavonic, Russian cultural studies.
The third issue of our yearbook is already compiled and prepared for publication by the creative group (O.Dubinina, G.Stembkovska, O.Gon at expert and organizational patronage of G.Syvachenko). It is now in the publishing house, and we hope to distribute it and represent it to research community in the nearest future.
Great efforts have been made to publish proceedings of III International Conference «Mainstream – Heterogeneity – Canon in Current American Literature», which took place in Kyiv on October, 3-5, 2005. The proceedings were presented to the research community on February, 2, 2007 at presence and active participation of representatives of the US Embassy in Ukraine – the Cultural Attache Courtney Austrian, Assistant Cultural Attache Karen Robblee, the Director of Fulbright Fund in Ukraine Myron Stachiw, the Director of Kennan Institute in Ukraine Yaroslav Pylynsky. Participants of the discussion were Doctors of Sciences, Professors T.Potnitseva (Dnipropetrovsk), B.Shalaginov (NaUKMA), N.Zhluktenko (Kyiv National University), N.Vysotska (Kyiv Linguistic University), Associate Professors O.Bandrovska (Lviv National University), M.Koval (Lviv). Scientific significance of the conference proceedings was emphasized, as well as practical value of the bilingual edition and distribution among Ukrainian philological community.
Members of our community take an active part in scientific life of not only our country. First, all of us are lecturers at various educational institutions of Ukraine. Secondly, we are speakers at professional conferences (American studies presentations are an inseparable part of the annual Conference «Language and Culture», at higher institutions conferences – in Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk). Unfortunately, this year we have not taken part in work of the American studies summer school – either as lecturers, or as students.
However, we took part in work of the European Association of American Studies (the conference in Nicosia, where G.Stembkovska delivered a report, and I moderated a section) and in work of the American Association of American Studies (my report on the status of studying and teaching American literature in Ukraine at the annual conference in American literary studies in Oakland, California).
N.Vysotska presented a report at the EAAS conference, delivered a course of lectures in Sacramento (California).
We also took part in work of the annual International Conference at Moscow University (N.Vysotska moderated a section, O.Gon delivered a report).
N.Shpylyova worked at a seminar in the Czech Republic, M.Koval delivered a report at a conference in Poland – so, I hope that our contacts our will keep on and develop – we receive invitations from Belarus, and from Russia, and from Poland, and from the Czech Republic, etc.
We constantly keep close contacts with the Fulbright Fund, activity of which is one of pre-conditions of our professional growth – almost a half of our community have already had internship in the USA, N.Bidasyuk has just come back, Yu.Tkachuk is there now (the post-graduate program), our other colleagues are going to join them, so let’s hope that this process will go on. We are also proud to report that we permanently and fruitfully use the knowledge and experience acquired due to Fulbright and we never break our connections with this organization.
Moreover, we gratefully accept the opportunity of using the Kennan Institute grants as well, to take part in annual conferences in Ukraine, in activities of the «Agora».
As it was planned, considerable steps have been made for popularization of our research work in a wider audience than the Center’s community. The Draft edition of voluntary courses in American literature has been prepared, which we can offer to the Ministry of Sciences and Education as research and methodological material. The Secondary Schools Department was especially positive about this idea (and the Draft), as it requires such materials for work with senior students of humanitarian profiled high schools. At present, we have not yet reached full agreement as to courses for higher institutions – to my point of view, this is our major audience. So far this question remains open – in fact, the point is that voluntary courses are intellectual property, which requires proper treatment, and not just any opportunity of its publication.
I would like to especially emphasize activity and initiative of separate regions, which develop and realize their own research and educational programs, as a rule, with previous consultations and with active participation of the Center’s creative community. I mean, foremost, the rather wide-scale, successfully realized project of Mykolaiv Petro Mohyla University (leader – O.Pronkevych, moderator – O.Starshova), as well as the Ternopil project (moderator – M.Shymchyshyn) «Female Voices in the Discourse of the 20th Century Literature», the first stage of which (a series of lectures and seminars) took place in June, and the second – publication of educational materials that were approved by the Scientific Council of the Institute of Literature – will take place in the nearest future. I am sure, that it should be recommended to implement as many of such regional, local projects as possible – and we are always ready to support them.
I am sure that all of you have not only noticed, but have already developed the habit of using our web page, which not only has been «published» by the Stembkovsky family, but also lives its saturated active life. I invite everyone to actively use it, filling it in with new information and results of your own creativity.
I would also like to gratefully mention employees of J.Demiray Resource Center, whose hospitality we have been enjoying all throughout these years. During the last year, the literary part of the library in literature and literary studies that they develop with care has considerably grown, in particular due to donations of those who, having visited Ukraine and made sure in its sincere interest in American literature, have become our friends. We hope that this process will not be halted, and that in the course of time we will also have on its shelves such important for us (though quite expensive) publications as the History of American Literature in 8 volumes edited by S.Bercovitch, and other recent editions.
In addition to this, I want to attract your attention the collective work now being the inalienable feature of coordination of our Center’s life. I would like to heartily thank my younger colleagues – O.Dubinina, G.Stembkovska for the permanent devoted willingness to work in favor of our common goal. As well as the colleagues who are senior for them but younger for me – N.Vysotska, O.Gon, T.Myhed for their faultlessness and highly professional work in all spheres of our Center’s activity.
I want to rely on that in the future we will overcome our failures and certain constraints, limitedness of our activity. We will rise to wider scales in involving general student and research community to literature and culture of the USA, will manage to defend its deserved place in secondary and higher schools curricula.
We will reorient our internal life from concentration on informing to deeper discussion levels, to mastering complicated theories and methods, critical and intelligent, creative and fruitful work.
I hope that our today's meeting will be interesting and fruitful, will give us new impulses, will enrich us with plans and concrete suggestions, remarks and positive criticism.
And great gratitude to the US Embassy and the Institute’s Directorate.

The report was discussed and approved by participants of the CALSU conference on February, 2007.