Polish-Ukrainian Studies

Existential Understanding of Freedom in Valeriy Shevchuk’s Story 'Birds from the Invisible Island'

2026, 13, No. 13

Mykhailo Sokulski

0000-0001-9517-1221

Ivan Franko National University of Lviv

DOI

10.31338/2451-2958spu.13.7

Publication date

20.12.2025

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

Dziedzina nauk humanistycznych

Discipline

literaturoznawstwo, nauki socjologiczne

Language of publication

Ukrainian

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Abstract

The article explores the philosophical and aesthetic interpretation of the concept of freedom in Valerii Shevchuk’s novella 'Birds from an Invisible Island'. It examines the relation between the writer’s worldview and existentialist philosophy – particularly the ideas of Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger – and analyzes how these ideas are transformed within a religious and moral framework. The study traces the inner evolution of the protagonist, Olizar Nosylovych, from anxiety and alienation to spiritual purification and the attainment of true freedom. It argues that in Shevchuk’s vision, freedom functions not merely as a philosophical notion but primarily as a moral and spiritual one, inseparable from overcoming evil, sin, fear, and estrangement. The paper highlights the interplay of mythological, religious, and existential motifs, as well as the baroque imagery that shapes the concept of liberation. Ultimately, Shevchuk’s understanding of freedom is revealed as a return to divine harmony – to an 'Absolute Freedom' that constitutes the essence of being and the source of good.

Keywords:

existentialism,freedom,anxiety,Absolute Freedom,profane,absurd

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