09/09/2026
At first glance, the relationship between Stefania and Adela in Sophia Andrukhovychโs novel ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐น ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ข seems like a touching story of female solidarity and devotion. However, as the plot unfolds, their interaction goes beyond the boundaries of traditional friendship.
Adela and Stefaniaโs relationship exists in a complex space, functioning both as a mistress-servant dynamic and as a โBoston marriageโ of non-biological sister-lovers: โAdela and I are neither friends nor sisters. There is no word to describe the ties that bind us.โ
To illustrate these complex bonds, Andrukhovych draws on the works and lives of writers connected to the history of Western . The novel pays tribute to the modernist writer Olha Kobylianska, echoing the deep emotional bond portrayed in her 1898 novella Valse mรฉlancolique (๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ป) as well as her intimate correspondence with Lesia Ukrainka. Even Stefaniaโs surname, Chornenko, refers to "khtos' chornen'kyi" (โsomeone dark-hairedโ), the affectionate nickname Kobylianska used for herself in those letters.
Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University Vitaly Chernetsky
