The Reflection of Cultural Heritage of Subcarpathian Rus in the Works of Czech and Slovak Authors of the Interwar Period

Abstract

After some fifty years of Magyarisation, many Ruthenians decided to leave the Hungarian kingdom at the end of the Great War. In the Czechoslovak republic, which became home for some of them, these Ruthenians became members of society and were granted the status of autonomy. Given the absence of any historical predecessor of an autonomous Ruthenian state before 1918, the Ruthenian people were simply not prepared to rule a completely independent state. Their society lacked formative social classes such as intelligentsia and burgeoisie, which were necessary in order to secure a functioning state administration. Instead, these key roles were taken up by the Czechoslovak intelligentsia, which played a considerable part in the formation of Subcarpathian Rus. Since many of them had no previous knowledge about the region, they were astonished by its people, culture and nature. Czechoslovak representatives, enchanted by local society, often immortalized their impressions in literature and other forms of art. This paper focuses on the most important - but often less known - works of Czechoslovak intelligentsia in Subcarpathian Rus during interwar period, which capture its largely lost historical heritage.