Kozachok Y. Kozachok Y.V. Concept of Nation as Spiritual Entity in Artistic and Publicistic works by Mykola Kostomarov. - Manuscript.

The thesis is devoted to the creative activity of Mykola Kostomarov who is one of the greatest writers, scientific and public figure, creator of fundamentals of national historiosophical thought. Firstly his works were analyzed at the level of world view and practical literary application, in the paradigm of creation of nation as a through context of his artistic and publicistic, scientific, public and educational-elucidative activities. Aesthetical world-view genesis of his artistic creative activity was researched in the context of the West European influences, in particular German idealistic philosophy, views on folk literature as the philosophical code of 'creation of nation' spirit of epoch, in the context of a new stage of activization of national consciousness of Ukrainian intelligentsia of XIX century. On the basis of analysis of Russian-language works their organic belonging to Ukrainian literature of the XIX century has been proved. Publicistic contribution of the scientist is, to a great extent, actual up to now. It is charged by polemic passion, moral and ethic core of Christian ethics, by cultivation of expression of national all-sufficientness idea of the Ukrainian people with fiction facilities. As a result of research it was established, that the multidimensional inheritance of Kostomarov is an integral ideological and aesthetical unity, inalienable constituent of public, cultural and aesthetical space of Ukrainian literature of the XIX century, for which the Kostomarov's ideas of creation of deserving political nation from ethnos became the basis. Keywords: creation of nation, political nation, ethnoculture, national idea, religious spirituality, national identity, Ukrainian mentality, spiritual association.