At a High Cost

Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's novella "At a High Cost" (1901) is set in 1830s Ukraine which belongs to the Russian Empire where serfdom is established. The main characters are young peasants Ostap and Solomia who flee from their cruel master. Ostap is threatened with death for disobedience, and his beloved Solomia married to one of the master's men without her consent is ready to follow her sweetheart. They decide to cross the Danube to the Turkish side, to the Ottoman Empire, where a few years ago the Danubian Sich used to stand as a center of freedom for the Ukrainian Cossacks.

But the empires tenaciously hold slaves in their claws. Forests, fields, wetlands, wide rivers, predatory animals, and predatory people who hunt for fugitives stand in the way of the lovers to freedom. Exhausted and almost alone in their pursuit of happiness, Ostap and Solomia pay a very high price so that at least one of them would break free.

This is the only book on the historical subject by the classic Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky. His call for the liberation of people from social, national, and spiritual oppression sounded strong and passionate and produced a great impact on readers.