Combination of the naive contemplativeness of childhood and the existential depth of adult experience in Halyna Pahutiak’s short fiction

Abstract

Abstract: The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the interplay between the naive contemplative perception of childhood and the existential depth of adult experience in Halyna Pahutiak’s short fiction. This issue is interpreted as one of the key artistic and philosophical dominants of Pahutiak’s prose, shaping a unique narrative perspective and determining the genre and stylistic originality of her short stories. The study demonstrates that childhood in Pahutiak’s texts functions not merely as a psychological category or autobiographical reference, but as a distinct mode of perceiving reality characterized by sensitivity, openness, intuitive trust, and intimate observation. Within the author’s aesthetic system, this childlike worldview is closely woven together with the mature protagonist’s existential reflection, creating a multidimensional space for exploring loneliness, liminality, fear, temporality, loss, memory, and the search for meaning. This synthesis produces a “double optics” effect that combines the immediacy of a child’s gaze with the intellectual depth of philosophical inquiry. Special attention is paid to the role of mythopoetic and archetypal structures, intertextual resonances, and psychological authenticity that intensify the dialogue between childhood naivety and adult existential experience. The analysis focuses on short stories such as “The Butterfly’s Soul,” “The Drowned Soul,” and “The Naked Child…,” where this interplay is manifested most vividly. It is argued that this interaction shapes a specific model of Pahutiak’s artistic thinking, in which childhood emerges not as a lost state but as a mode of restoring personal integrity and authenticity. The findings deepen the understanding of Pahutiak’s prose and open new perspectives for interpreting contemporary Ukrainian short fiction.