Light and Shadows: Self-Presentation of Panteleimon Kulish and Oleksandr Konyskyi through Their Diaries

This article offers a comparative analysis of the diary writings of two prominent Ukrainian intellectuals of the late nineteenth century, Panteleimon Kulish and Oleksandr Konyskyi. The study seeks to elucidate the specific modes of self-representation employed by each author, with particular attention to the strategies of authorial self-construction characteristic of Ukrainian memoir and documentary literature of the period.The object of analysis consists of personal diary entries that reveal individual modes of self-awareness and reflect the dominant ideas, values, and identity-related behavioural models characteristic of Ukrainian writers in Russian-ruled Ukraine. The study takes into account the interpersonal and professional context of Kulish and Konyskyi’s relationship, the similarities and differences in their sociocultural experiences, and their active involvement in the national, cultural, and educational movements—factors that enable a thorough comparative analysis of their ego-documents.The article explores the thematic dominants of Kulish’s and Konyskyi’s diaries, focusing on the authors’ reflections on their literary work, their moral and ethical stances, their attitudes towards religion and love, and their perceptions of women’s gender roles in both private and public spheres.The analysis is based on the available versions of Kulish’s and Konyskyi’s personal diaries.