‘The Factory’ by Ihor Mysiak. A philosophical novel about the search for fickle happiness

What does a person need to be happy? Is life worth living without this feeling? Ukrainian writer Ihor Mysiak searched for the answers to these questions in his debut novel “The Factory.” They remain relevant far beyond the borders of Ukraine, because these questions are exactly what concerns people everywhere, regardless of their place of residence. 

The novel was originally published in Ukrainian by Tempora Publishing House in the fall of 2022, only six months after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine had begun. Ihor Mysiak, best known for his poetry, presented a prose work in which, by the way, there was no war. Instead, the book focused on the inner turmoil of the book’s characters. 

Starting with the first days of the full-scale invasion, Mysiak fought for Ukraine. To present his novel in Kyiv, he came straight from the front line where he had been serving as a combat medic. In May 2023, Mysiak, a promising author with a bright personality, died. No, that’s not correct. He was killed by Russia. The English translation of “The Factory,” accomplished by translators Yevheniia Dubrova and Hanna Leliv and published by Atthis Art with the support of the Ukrainian Book Institute, is not just a literary work. It is a tribute to Mysiak, and a reminder that, although creative work does immortalize its author, it does not reduce the pain and bitterness of losing them.

A building that has no past and no future

Once upon a time, there was a factory. It was built in a picturesque area among the forests and next to a lake. Nobody knew what had happened in the abandoned building before it was bought by a dreamer and businessman named Schneider. The factory is a kind of phantom ship taken out by the waves of life when it is needed. There, Schneider decided to manufacture something very distinguished.

In his words, “This device was supposed to turn the world upside down, leading people to find happiness.”

Unfortunately, the plan would not be realized. The factory would again find itself in a sea of uncertainty. Time passed, and the building (aka the ark) where author Mysiak gathered very different characters who were eager to find happiness to save their souls came to life again. Yuriy, Water, Hryhoriy, Dmytro, Boss, Uncle Vasyl, and Petryk would all carry on Schneider’s business. By joining the production facility of a device for making people happy, the characters of the novel found themselves at the mercy of the factory — a place where inner transformations took place, and where the old windows gave a better view of what you wanted to do, and of who you really should be.

Philosophers and madmen

Despite the fact that Mysiak introduces more and more characters into the text, his perspective focuses on Water, who becomes the narrator by the end of the book. A philosopher and a recluse, this man went through a traumatic experience as a child, which resulted in aquaphobia. Water gets accustomed to the factory over the course of the novel. In this barely inhabited building next to a lake, he meets people with whom he can contemplate upon God, the harm of repentance, as well as cruelty, which Water believes is “nature’s last hope.” Water searches for peace from his own fears, and he wants to be able to behold the world because, as he says, “Everything was changing, but people remained oblivious.” Lost in his own thoughts, Water almost misses the moment when he realizes that he replaced Uncle Vasyl’s deceased son. Their communication, totally silent at times, is an example of quiet happiness, when one person finally finds someone he can care for, and the other accepts it with gratitude. 

Boss, a young man who might have a criminal past and is frantically in love with vintage cars, is also searching for happiness. Despite recklessness and arrogance, Boss falls under the spell of the most simple ideas of happiness: a beautiful bride who is also wealthy, social approval, and, of course, a new car. Will cruel fate be able to forgive Boss for the luck required to obtain that happiness? Mysiak offers an answer to this question that will make the reader think about the evil irony of fate, as dictated by the Moirai.  

Petryk, another philosopher and poet, decides to take an unprecedented step — he will turn on a happiness-generating device in the factory. The consequences will be unpredictable, and the conclusions are too. 

Thus, “The Factory” by Mysiak is a philosophical novel about love and friendship, fatherhood and sonhood, chance and regularity, and most importantly, about happiness as something we can create with our own hands, without devices or magic spells. It seems that the writer himself believes that determination, kindness, openness to the world, and immersion in its laws and secrets are the secret to true, not fickle, happiness. While reading “The Factory,” it is important to remember this and to be saturated with the inner light of the author, because Mysiak did not spare it for other people.

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The publication is a part of the “Chytomo Picks: Classics and New Books from Ukraine” project. The materials have been prepared with the assistance of the Ukrainian Book Institute at the expense of the state budget. The author’s opinion may not coincide with the official position of the Ukrainian Book Institute.

Translation: Iryna Savyuk

Copy editing: Matthew Long