Autumn Reading List by Anastasiia Denysenko, Head of Literature Programme
‘Nikt tak nie tańczył, jak mój dziadek’ (My grandfather danced better than anyone else)
Kateryna Babkina (original language: Ukrainian, translated into Polish)
A short story collection tells about children from five families that meet each other on September 1 in the first year of Independence and become lifelong friends. The book immerses into the past events and reveals a matter of generations, loneliness and loss.
‘The Orphanage’
Serhii Zhadan (original language: Ukrainian, translated into English)
Personal story of a teacher illustrates the war in Donbas, tells about its horrors and the trap of choice. It’s an important book about human lives taken aback. By the way, translator Claudia Dathe won the Drahoman Prize 2020 award with the translation of Zhadan’s poetry collection “Antenna” into German (bit.ly/3AUST1j).
‘Nikt nie powróci z długiej nocnej wędrówki’ (No one will return from ramblings through the long night)
Serhii Zhadan
(original language: Ukrainian, translated into Polish)
New Polish edition of Zhadan’s selected verse was published in October. The book is named after the line ‘No one will return from ramblings through the long night’ from the poem included into collection “History of Culture at the Turn of This Century”.
‘The Frontline’
Serhii Plokhii
(original language: English)
The essay collection of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute director illustrates the key events in Ukraine history and their influence on today. A unique trip to the origins gives explanation to the modern political and cultural problems in Ukraine.
‘Jetotak’ (Cause it’s This Way)
Taras Prokhasko
(original language: Ukrainian, translated into Czech)
The prose collection tells alternative stories and shows how human lives emerge in their interweaves. This September the collection’s translation was presented at literature events Noc Literatury and Svet Knyhy in partnership with Ukrainian Institute (bit.ly/3mkUMA8).
‘How War Changes Rondo’
Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv
(original language: Ukrainian, translated into English)
The story tells about the traces left by the war in each of us. The shrewd text illustrates the contrast between a bright imaginary world and harsh reality. The book will be published in English in November but it has already gained a favorable review from the most influential American Book Publishing Kirkus Reviews.
“Zero Point Ukraine. Four Essays on World War II”
Olena Stiazhkina
(original language: Ukrainian, translated into English)
The book reveals Ukrainian experiences of World War II and includes events in Ukraine into European context. The essay collection is translated into English in terms of the Ukrainian Institute Lysiak-Rudnytsky Ukrainian Studies programme.
‘Iza leđa’ (Behind the back)
Haska Shyyan
(original language: Ukrainian, translated into Croatian)
The story of a girl about inner conflicts and searching for answers gained an all-Ukrainian award “LitAkcent of the year” and European Union literature award. The book addresses current issues of body, life crises and choice. This autumn it will be published in Croatian and Bulgarian.