Five of the best works of fiction about Ukraine
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Loading... - Rozalia Vince
- 05 Oct 2022
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Learn more about the country and its people with our selection of books by contemporary Ukrainian writers
Depeche Mode
Serhiy Zhadan’s 2004 debut follows a ragtag group of extravagantly alcoholic teenagers as they traverse post-Soviet Ukraine. The “eternally hungry crew, held together by no one knows what”, with names like Dogg Pavlov and Cocoa the Donbas Intellectual, go on a mission to track down their friend Sasha Carburetor, who has disappeared to a “laboring class camp” ahead of his stepfather’s funeral. Dark and apocalyptic, with a sprinkling of slapstick comedy, Zhadan’s novel is full of characters who are indifferent to everything from “culture [to] the weather forecast” but find their lives permeated by the politics of their surroundings.
Lucky Breaks
Published in English earlier this month, Lucky Breaks is the first work of fiction from the Ukrainian artist, photographer and writer Yevgenia Belorusets. In this collection of short stories, she focuses on the lives of women in Ukraine’s Donbas region, and the numerous subtle acts of heroism that pervade their daily existence. Folklore and humour combine with sadness and an ever-present sense of threat to give a complex insight into a multifaceted region. Read More...
