The Phenomenon of Cannibalism in Vasily Grossman’s Prose Within the Framework of Holodomor Controversies

Duygu Özakın

Makale detayları

The Phenomenon of Cannibalism in Vasily Grossman’s Prose Within the Framework of Holodomor Controversies

Yazarlar:

Duygu Özakın

Yayıncı:

Yusuf ÇETİN

Ana Başlıklar:

Slav Dilleri | Edebiyatları ve Kültürleri

Dergi:

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 1, pp.32-51

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001346412

pISSN:

2548-0502

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Golodomor, known in Western languages as Holodomor, is a term that comes from Proto-Slavic mor, which expresses mass death or epidemic, and golod, which means hunger. The term is used to describe the mass deaths during the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933. There have been three major waves of famine in the history of the Soviet Union, in 1921-1922, 1932-1933, and 1946-1947. However, it has been claimed that the Ukrainian famine was man-made and genocidal. During the famine years, cases of food poisoning, epidemics, mental disorders, and suicides, as well as cases of starvation-induced insanity and cannibalism, were recorded. The literary works reflecting these years have become documents frequently cited by historians due to their testimonial narratives. This study aims to discuss the phenomenon of cannibalism in Ukrainian-born Soviet writer, journalist, and war correspondent Vasily Grossmans Everything Flows Vse techet and Life and Fate Zhizn i sudba through a socio-historical perspective. For this purpose, the discursive construction process of the term Holodomor, which was first used by the Ukrainian diaspora, was examined and the cases of cannibalism in Grossmans prose were evaluated in terms of ethical dimensions. As a result of the study, it is revealed that the main perpetrator of cannibalism as an act beyond ethical boundaries is seen by the author not as the offender himself, but as the political authority that leads him into this crime.

 Golodomor, known in Western languages as Holodomor, is a term that comes from Proto-Slavic mor, which expresses mass death or epidemic, and golod, which means hunger. The term is used to describe the mass deaths during the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933. There have been three major waves of famine in the history of the Soviet Union, in 1921-1922, 1932-1933, and 1946-1947. However, it has been claimed that the Ukrainian famine was man-made and genocidal. During the famine years, cases of food poisoning, epidemics, mental disorders, and suicides, as well as cases of starvation-induced insanity and cannibalism, were recorded. The literary works reflecting these years have become documents frequently cited by historians due to their testimonial narratives. This study aims to discuss the phenomenon of cannibalism in Ukrainian-born Soviet writer, journalist, and war correspondent Vasily Grossmans Everything Flows Vse techet and Life and Fate Zhizn i sudba through a socio-historical perspective. For this purpose, the discursive construction process of the term Holodomor, which was first used by the Ukrainian diaspora, was examined and the cases of cannibalism in Grossmans prose were evaluated in terms of ethical dimensions. As a result of the study, it is revealed that the main perpetrator of cannibalism as an act beyond ethical boundaries is seen by the author not as the offender himself, but as the political authority that leads him into this crime.

 Golodomor, known in Western languages as Holodomor, is a term that comes from Proto-Slavic mor, which expresses mass death or epidemic, and golod, which means hunger. The term is used to describe the mass deaths during the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933. There have been three major waves of famine in the history of the Soviet Union, in 1921-1922, 1932-1933, and 1946-1947. However, it has been claimed that the Ukrainian famine was man-made and genocidal. During the famine years, cases of food poisoning, epidemics, mental disorders, and suicides, as well as cases of starvation-induced insanity and cannibalism, were recorded. The literary works reflecting these years have become documents frequently cited by historians due to their testimonial narratives. This study aims to discuss the phenomenon of cannibalism in Ukrainian-born Soviet writer, journalist, and war correspondent Vasily Grossmans Everything Flows Vse techet and Life and Fate Zhizn i sudba through a socio-historical perspective. For this purpose, the discursive construction process of the term Holodomor, which was first used by the Ukrainian diaspora, was examined and the cases of cannibalism in Grossmans prose were evaluated in terms of ethical dimensions. As a result of the study, it is revealed that the main perpetrator of cannibalism as an act beyond ethical boundaries is seen by the author not as the offender himself, but as the political authority that leads him into this crime.

 Batı dillerine Holodomor olarak geçen Golodomor, toplu ölüm ya da salgın anlamlarında kullanılan Ön-Slavca kökenli mor ve açlık kavramını ifade eden golod kelimelerinin bir araya gelmesiyle oluşturulan bir terimdir. Terime, 1932-1933 yıllarında Ukrayna kıtlığında yaşanan kitlesel ölümleri tanımlamak için başvurulmaktadır. Sovyetler Birliğinde 1921-1922, 1932-1933 ve 1946-1947 yıllarında olmak üzere üç büyük kıtlık dalgası meydana gelmiştir. Ancak Ukrayna kıtlığının, suni yollarla ve soykırım amacıyla gerçekleştirildiği ileri sürülmüştür. Kıtlık yıllarında besin zehirlenmeleri, salgın hastalıklar, zihinsel bozukluklar ve intiharların yanı sıra açlıktan delirme ve yamyamlık vakaları da kayda geçirilmiştir. Bu süreci yansıtan edebî eserler ise tanıklığa dayalı anlatılar olmaları sebebiyle tarihçiler tarafından sıklıkla atıf yapılan belgelere dönüşmüştür. Bu çalışmada Ukrayna asıllı Sovyet dönemi yazarı, gazeteci ve savaş muhabiri Vasili Grossmanın Her Şey Geçip Gider Vsyo teçyot ve Yaşam ve Yazgı Jizn i sudba adlı eserlerinde yamyamlık olgusunu, sosyo-tarihsel bir perspektifle tartışmak amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda ilk kez Ukrayna diasporasınca kullanılan Holodomor kavramının söylemsel inşa süreci incelenmiş ve Grossman nesrinde yamyamlık vakaları, etik boyutlarıyla değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma neticesinde, yazar tarafından etik sınırların ötesinde bir eylem olarak tanımlanan yamyamlık suçunda esas failin, suçu işleyenin kendisi değil onu bu suça sürükleyen siyasal otorite olarak görüldüğü ortaya konulmuştur.

Makale detayları

The Phenomenon of Cannibalism in Vasily Grossman’s Prose Within the Framework of Holodomor Controversies

Yazarlar:

Duygu Özakın

Yayıncı:

Yusuf ÇETİN

Ana Başlıklar:

Slav Dilleri | Edebiyatları ve Kültürleri

Dergi:

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 1, pp.32-51

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001346412

pISSN:

2548-0502

Vasily Grossman

Holodomor

man-made famine

genocide

cannibalismVasili Grossman

Holodomor

suni kıtlık

soykırım

yamyamlık

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Duygu Özakın

Yayıncı: Yusuf ÇETİN

Ana Başlıklar: Slav Dilleri | Edebiyatları ve Kültürleri

Dergi: Söylem Filoloji Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 1, pp.32-51

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 4/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001346412

pISSN: 2548-0502

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Duygu Özakın

Yayıncı:

Yusuf ÇETİN

Ana Başlıklar:

Slav Dilleri | Edebiyatları ve Kültürleri

Dergi:

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi Vol.10 Issue 1, pp.32-51

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001346412

pISSN:

2548-0502