A feeling of discomfort and disappointment towards the collective memory of the shistdesiatnytstvo in Ukraine emerged during the interview with Lina Kostenko, as well as with other shistdesiatnyky. The public discourse, including many scholarly studies on the topic, usually ignores the ethic and "affective" components which were so important to the members of this movement, whose behavior and universe of values radically differed from the Stalinist Soviet respectability. The function of the

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... tdesiatnytstvo as the detonator of a positive nationalism is thus neglected. Some important stages in the formation of Lina Kostenko's personality are then analyzed: the family upbringing based on the love for Ukrainian and worldwide culture, the traumas of childhood during World War II, the importance of building friendly bonds with other shistdesiatnyky, especially with Vasyl' Symonenko.