RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 2022
Recent events have brought Ukraine to the attention of the world. Much of the global citizenry has been gripped by Ukraine’s struggle and courage. This is a fight for the most fundamental and important value, one that resonates especially with those living in a democratic society—freedom.
Voices of Freedom: Contemporary Writing From Ukraine is a collection of Ukrainian writing that aims to introduce the English-speaking world to some of the most iconic living writers whose work is shaping contemporary Ukraine. These are leading intellectuals and moral authorities for the Ukrainian people, whose voices and opinions have helped to synchronize the internal compasses of Ukrainian society in the struggle for the freedom of their country. Through poetry, short stories, and essays, this collection demonstrates that the desire for freedom and the struggle to achieve it is a theme that cuts across generations of Ukrainian writers, and is a central preoccupation of Ukrainian society.
This collection demonstrates the unique style and artistry of contemporary Ukrainian literature over the past 50 years. The curated poetry is an instant reaction to the events taking place today, which speaks directly to this current moment and the national psyche. The short stories sensitize readers to Ukraine’s indivisible history and the present. These are accounts about the memory of generations, choices and transitions, self-irony, friendship, love, and the powerful significance of home. These stories and novellas represent a single continuous story showing the paths, lives, and values of the Ukrainian people who have amazed the world with their courage. The essays showcase the voices of contemporary Ukrainian intellectuals, providing analysis and reflection on what is happening in the present, showing historical connections and parallels, and shedding light on the origins and triggers of the war on the mental level.
The collection that follows is the story of Ukraine, in the voice of Ukrainians.
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Proceeds from the sale of this collection will support the cultural community and humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, namely Razom for Ukraine or Hospitallers Medical Battalion.
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“I hope you open this book, dear reader, because Ukraine is burning, and I hope you share what you find here with everyone you know, for the editors have gathered for us an anthology that is more than merely a literary compilation; it is a testament from a war zone. But I also hope you will realize, having read these Ukrainian writers, how incomparably talented they are: such memorable imagery collected herein, such inconsolable and yet somehow consoling music. And, above all, such unrelenting witness to atrocity expressed in a language that refuses to be silenced, a language that ensouls and sing with abandon and intensity of truth.
I hope you will share the poems from this book with everyone you know, yes. I know I will.”
– Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf Republic
“This superb anthology of Ukrainian writers delights us with talented writing across all genres and brings home what it means to be a Ukrainian on the frontlines of freedom. This rich offering helps every American better understand Ukraine: the people, the culture, and the country.”
– Marie Yovanovitch, author of an instant New York Times bestseller Lessons From The Edge: A Memoir; Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
“Voices of Freedom: Contemporary Writing From Ukraine is a brilliant introduction to a literary tradition long overlooked in America. By presenting a mosaic of perspectives, experiences, and forms, this volume showcases the depth, diversity, and resistance of the culture Putin seeks to erase. It’s hard to imagine a more politically urgent literary project.”
– Anthony Marra, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tsar of Love and Techno and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
“Defending Ukraine is not just the job of soldiers on the frontline. Writers, poets, publishers and artists also have their job to do and so this book is the right one at the right time. The more people abroad know Ukraine and understand it, the more they will understand why we need to stand in solidarity with it and with its people.”
– Tim Judah, British writer, reporter and political analyst for The Economist
“Judiciously edited, Voices of Freedom offers a superb introduction to some of the most important writers to have emerged from post-independence Ukraine. Today, they also happen to be some of the most important writers in the world. “It is time for Ukraine to tell its story,” writes Kateryna Kazimirova. I’d say the telling is long overdue.”
– Askold Melnyczuk, American writer, founder of journal AGNI and Arrowsmith Press
978-1-7377181-6-1 ; Paperback
978-1-7377181-7-8 ; Ebook
Voices of Freedom: Contemporary Writing From Ukraine (paperback)
Authors: Ihor Kalynets | Yuri Izdryk | Yuri Andrukhovych | Oksana Zabuzhko | Ivan Malkovych | Volodymyr Rafeyenko | Ivan Andrusiak | Taras Prokhasko | Serhiy Zhadan | Lyubko Deresh | Pavlo Korobchuk | Stanislav Aseyev | Borys Khersonsky | Kostiantyn (Kost’) Moskalets | Svitlana Povalyaeva | Andriy Bondar | Halyna Kruk | Tamara Duda (Tamara Gorikha Zernya) | Lyuba Yakimchuk | Oleksiy Chupa | Iya Kiva | Olaf Clemensen | Olena Herasymyuk | Yuliya Musakovska | Olena Stiazhkina | Oksana Lutsyshyna | Vasyl Makhno
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Editors: Kateryna Kazimirova | Daryna Anastasieva
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Translators: Svetlana Lavochkina | Grace Mahoney | John Hennessy | Ostap Kin | Nina Murray | Reilly Costigan-Humes | Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler | Sara Jolly | Boris Dralyuk | Roman Koropeckyj | Hanna Leliv | Virlana Tkacz | Wanda Phipps | Catherine O’Neil | Irina Steinberg | Sibelan Forrester | Irena Chalupa | Liudmyla Glenn | Dominique Hoffman | Oksana Maksymchuk | Olha Pushchak | Katherine E. Young | Amelia Glaser | Yuliya Ilchuk | Kateryna Kazimirova | Charles Bonds | Olena Jennings | Daisy Gibbons | Ali Kinsella