Reading as a Way of Being for a Modern Writer: Drawing on Vasyl Makhno’s Collection “From Vowels and Consonants”

Abstract

This article analyzes the phenomenon of reading through the prism of Vasyl Makhno’s essayistic work, originally conceptualized by the author as a private lexicon titled From Vowels and Consonants: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Names, Cities, Birds, Plants, and All Sorts of Other Things. The book is designed to reveal the existential formula of a modern writer and their consciousness, which relies on the constant replenishment of textual content, the search for fresh ideas, and the ability to creatively transform accumulated material into artistic imagery and forms. An analysis of the collection’s essays—which are dedicated to works of art, fellow writers, reading and writing reception, as well as literary criticism—demonstrates that Makhno views artistic creativity as a form of productive activity that occasionally proceeds spontaneously and unconsciously. Nevertheless, specific factors guide this process, with reading occupying a preeminent position as the primary source of personal growth, a sphere of self-expression, and a guide for one’s own creativity. The author posits that literary creation is directly influenced by books that are read and reread continuously throughout one’s life, rather than merely during specific periods. Ultimately, the analyzed collection reveals new dimensions of Makhno, who emerges here not merely as an artist, but as a philosopher and philologist.