International conference devoted to Mykola Hohol
29 of September - 6 of October in Kyiv (Ukraine)

Annually on the 29 of September - 6 of October in Kyiv (Ukraine) takes place the International Theatrical Women Festival "Maria" of monodramas in memoriam of the great Ukrainian actress Marija Zankovetska. The Festival is held with the support of the Ministry of culture and tourism of Ukraine , National Academic Drama Theatre of Ivan Franko, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the international foundation "International Institute of the Theatre", the Ukrainian organization of "Prosvita" of Taras Shevchenko, and the foundation "Our home is Ukraine ". Every year the festival is dedicated to the famous date of the Ukrainian or world culture.

In 2009 the Festival is dedicated to the 200 anniversary of Mykola Hohol (in Russian - Nikolai Gogol), the great Ukrainian and Russian writer, humorist, and dramatist of the XIX century. His early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were heavily influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing and identity. After the triumph of Dead Souls, Hohol came to be regarded by his contemporaries as a great satirist who lampooned the unseemly sides of Imperial Russia. Little did they know that Dead Souls was but the first part of a modern-day counterpart to The Divine Comedy. The first part represented the Inferno; the second part was to depict the gradual purification and transformation of the rogue Chichikov under the influence of virtuous publicans and governors - Purgatory. Hohol became one of the most influential figures in the Eastern European culture; his influence can be regarded in the Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and other world writing traditions.

In addition, during the conference with the help of the Institute of literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine will be organized the International conference devoted to Mykola Hohol and the impact he has made on the literature of Eastern Europe and all over the world.

The essential topics of the Conference:

· M. Hohol and world literature;

· M. Hohol and world art;

· M. Hohol: comparative issues;

· M. Hohol and imperial/anti-colonial/post-imperial (post-colonial) identity;

· European aspects of M. Hohol's writings;

· M. Hohol and translations of his works in the world;

· M. Hohol and a two-faced language (special features of M. Hohol's language);

· M. Hohol and archetypes;

· New interpretations of M. Hohol's writings;

· M. Hohol in the paradigm of new historicism;

· M. Hohol and carnival theory

Deadline for submitting papers: 28 of July 2009 (all the papers will be translated into Ukrainian and published in both languages in the Conference Book).

Please send abstracts (around 300 words) to Dmytro Drozdovskyi before July 15th 2009 at the following address: drosdovscky@rambler.ru

The conference languages will be Ukrainian and English.

A publication of the proceedings from the conference is planned after approval of the articles by the editorial committee.

© D. Drozdovskyi

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