Wasyl Słapczuk

Tom & Tom

[Tale & Tale]

A playful metatext in which literature itself becomes the hero, embodied in Tom, created before the reader’s eyes. Slapchuk blends realism with surreal digressions, inviting the reader into the game of making and remaking stories. Both homage to great predecessors and an inventive exploration of narrative’s power to reshape itself.

The novel by Vasyl Slapchuk,, now reaching the Polish reader, is best described as a vast metatext. Its greatness lies not in its physical size, but in the subtle, multi-faceted engagement with literature—a game both with and within it. Slapchuk elevates great literature to the role of a heroine, allowing it to re-express itself by being embodied in theeponymous character.

In the original Ukrainian version, his name is Roman, which is simply the word for “novel.” Consequently, this is a novel about literature, a powerful cantata of love dedicated to the word and the mystery of creation. The symbolism of the home-as-fortress, introduced in the first part, is amplified and revisited in later sections. This theme is crucial for understanding the entire work as a microcosm for the narrator and his characters. The home functions variously as a labyrinth, the voluntary prison of a creator focused on productivity, and a place for healing wounds in a nation besieged by war.