The Embroidered King of Ukraine — Serhiy Zhadan

The Embroidered King of Ukraine is a work by Serhiy Zhadan addressing the themes of Ukrainian power and national symbols. The image of the "embroidered king" is an ironic metaphor connecting the folk tradition of the vyshyvanka with claims to monarchical grandeur.

Zhadan deconstructs myths about the heroic past and Ukrainian statehood with characteristic wit. The work belongs to a series of the author's texts where history and modernity intertwine in provocative and unexpected ways.