SUPERMAN FOR THE BROTHERHOOD OF CROPPERS: U. SAMCHUK’S KULAK AS AN IDEOLOGICAL NOVEL

Abstract

The article examines Ulas Samchuk’s novel Kulak as a model of the ideological novel created during the interwar period, reflecting a high degree of philosophical and aesthetic engagement with the social realities of its time. The author analyzes Kulak through the lens of Susan Rubin Suleiman’s theory of the ideological novel, which allows the text to be interpreted not merely as a literary narrative, but as a vehicle of an authorial ideological program alternative to the dominant political doctrines of the twentieth century – namely communism, Nazism, and liberalism. Samchuk’s novel affirms the power of personal initiative, entrepreneurship, and rational pragmatism, aligning its ideological foundations with Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. The central character, Lev Boichuk, emerges as an atypical figure in Ukrainian literature: a positive entrepreneur who, through inner transformation, hard work, and determination, overcomes societal and economic obstacles. Structurally, the novel combines features of the ideological novel and the Bildungsroman, while also adhering to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth model. Particular attention is given to the connection between Boichuk’s image and Viacheslav Lypynsky’s theory of classocracy: Lev embodies the ideal of a national aristocrat, defined not by bloodline but by responsibility, initiative, and organizational ability. The novel is presented not only as a literary response to the historical challenges of its era, but also as an attempt to articulate a new ideological paradigm that could serve as a foundation for national renewal under adverse socio-cultural and economic conditions. Thus, Kulak extends far beyond the realm of «domestic-use» literature, offering an ambitious integration of Ukrainian literature into a broader European and global ideological-artistic discourse.