In Cassandra, Lesia Ukrainka, using the prism of classical mythology and intertextual practice, draws attention to the problems of colonialism and cultural enslavement, patriarchy and the enslavement of women, as well as the dilemma of the visionary writer who sees the truth along with the consequences, but, like the archetypal Cassandra, is powerless to convey it to his contemporaries and compatriots.
Having received significant critical acclaim upon publication in Ukrainian, this work is also strongly autobiographical and a form of Ukrainka’s implicit self-projection into the new Ukrainian cultural canon. Presented here in a contemporary, sophisticated English translation attuned to psychological nuance, this play is sure to attract the attention of the modern-day reader interested in Ukrainian literature and culture.
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