NARRATIVE PR STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL BRAND IN OKSANA ZABUZHKO’S ESSAY “THE LONGEST JOURNEY”

Abstract

The article examines the narrative PR strategies of representing Ukraine in Oksana Zabuzhko’s essay “The Longest Journey” in the context of contemporary international communications, cultural diplomacy, and national branding. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing role of cultural and literary texts in shaping the international image of a state and by the need to explore ways of presenting the Ukrainian experience to a global audience amid Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The essay is examined as a hybrid communicative genre combining features of literature, journalism, intellectual storytelling, and strategic communications. The aim of the study is to identify the key narrative strategies through which the author constructs the image of Ukraine and ensures its cultural and communicative relevance for a Western audience. The study demonstrates that the key means of representation include the combination of personal experience with collective historical memory, the use of historical analogies and intertextual allusions, the cultural translation of Ukrainian realities, the deconstruction of Russian propaganda narratives, and an emphasis on the resilience of Ukrainian civil society. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the Ukrainian experience is integrated into broader European and global cultural contexts through references to recognizable historical events, symbols, and cultural codes. The analysis demonstrates that the author’s strategy is aimed not only at informing foreign readers about the preconditions and course of the war but also at shaping a comprehensive understanding of Ukraine as a historical subject, a democratic community, and an integral part of the European cultural space. The study concludes that, under contemporary conditions, essayistic writing can perform the functions of cultural diplomacy and serve as an instrument of national branding by constructing long-term systems of meaning and influencing the international perception of a state.