Contemporary Ukrainian Literature in English Translation

FAIN: RQ-249830-16

Academic Studies Press (Brighton, MA 02135-2515)
Igor V. Nemirovsky (Project Director: December 2015 to June 2024)

Preparation for publication in print and open access digital format of two volumes of contemporary Ukrainian poetry, fiction, and essays, edited and translated into English.

This project will bring together for the first time English translations of some of the most important Ukrainian literature produced following the collapse of the Soviet Union, organized into two volumes. The first volume showcases an expertly curated selection of Ukrainian poetry, fiction, and essays published in the post-Soviet years, setting the literary and cultural stage for the second volume, which brings together for the first time in any language a collection of Ukrainian poetry about the current war in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

Media Coverage

Columbia University Lecturer Acquaints Americans with Contemporary Ukrainian Literature (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Voice of America
Publication: Voice of America
Date: 2/20/2018
Abstract: Voice of America's Julia Yarmolenko and Dmitry Savchuk meet with editor Mark Andryczyk in his native Philadelphia to discuss the publication of "The White Chalk of Days".
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUcTlJFOuqM

September 2017 Poetry Feature (Media Coverage)
Author(s): The Common
Publication: The Common
Date: 9/29/2017
Abstract: "The Common" featured several poems from the volume "Words for War."
URL: https://www.thecommononline.org/september-2017-poetry-feature/

Ukraine Feature: Words for War (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Poetry International
Publication: Poetry International
Date: 9/27/2017
Abstract: "Poetry International" featured several poems from "Words for War."

The works of 15 Ukrainian writers were translated into English (Media Coverage)
Publication: Gazeta.ua
Date: 1/14/2018
URL: https://gazeta.ua/articles/culture/_tvori-15-ukrayinskih-pismennikiv-pereklali-anglijskoyu/814572

The anthology of contemporary Ukrainian poetry was published in the USA (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Bogdan Kapitsa
Publication: day.kyiv.ua
Date: 2/21/2018
Abstract: Maidan, the occupation of the Crimea, the war on the Donbass - all this is reflected in the work of Ukrainian writers. Now, reading such poetry in translation is also possible by Americans. An anthology "Words for War" was published in Boston...
URL: https://day.kyiv.ua/uk/article/kultura/slova-do-viyny

The anthology of contemporary Ukrainian literature was published in the USA (Media Coverage)
Publication: starlev.com.ua
Date: 1/21/2018
URL: https://starylev.com.ua/news/antologiyu-suchasnoyi-ukrayinskoyi-literatury-vydaly-u-ssha

Words for War Lyuba Yakimchuk-Ruination of Cities & Words (Media Coverage)
Publication: BBC The Essay
Date: 7/31/2023
Abstract: Lyuba Yakimchuk was born in eastern Ukraine near Luhansk and has now fled Kyiv for Vienna.
URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0016bbz?fbclid=IwAR05Q7lvYMopj5-gZOiRXB-dgxWjQyef6E793DR2WgK6DfSXQ7Y9syzxo6E

Over a River Strangely Rosy: Reading Poetry in Wartime (Media Coverage)
Publication: Los Angeles Review of Books
Date: 7/31/2023
Abstract: I spent most of my life not reading poetry. Right now it’s the only language that makes sense to me. But I can’t write poetry, so I don’t have the words I need to talk about the subject that preoccupies all of us: the vicious, criminal, irrational Russian war on Ukraine and the lies that the Russian government is using to justify its plunder and murder.
URL: https://lareviewofbooks.org/short-takes/over-a-river-strangely-rosy-reading-poetry-in-wartime/

Blossoms in Ukraine (Media Coverage)
Publication: Poetry Foundation
Date: 3/22/2022
Abstract: Oksana Maksymchuk and Oksana Lutsyshyna on life as a refugee, the God of comfort, and the deep roots of the war.
URL: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/157648/blossoms-in-ukraine?fbclid=IwAR0-TwRdRosF3Bf3NBenDooA7ue2CFS5-fBHT5NmwQfGIyd7oaMcytJ30gc

Ukraine in Literature (Media Coverage)
Publication: The New York Times - Thursday Wrap Up
Date: 3/17/2022
Abstract: This selection of literature and nonfiction, compiled by writers and editors The Time's Book Desk, can help you better understand Ukraine.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/books/ukraine-translate-books.html?fbclid=IwAR05Q7lvYMopj5-gZOiRXB-dgxWjQyef6E793DR2WgK6DfSXQ7Y9syzxo6E

Why all the fuss? Ukraine’s New Education Law (Media Coverage)
Publication: Hromadske Radio
Date: 10/7/2017
Abstract: FEATURE INTERVIEW: Language expert Volodymyr Kulyk tells Marta Dyczok why Ukraine’s new education law is causing controversy and mentions "Words for War" publication.
URL: https://hromadskeradio.org/programs/ukraine-calling/why-all-the-fuss-ukraines-new-education-law

"The White Chalk of Days" Facebook Page (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Academic Studies Press / Borderlines: Foundation for Academic Studies
Publication: Facebook
Date: 12/19/2017
Abstract: This Facebook page is both a promotional and educational online resource where news, reviews, videos, further online resources, selected poems and content, and any related information is shared. Further content will be added throughout 2018.
URL: https://www.facebook.com/whitechalkofdays/

"Words for War" Facebook Page (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Academic Studies Press / Borderlines: Foundation for Academic Studies
Publication: Facebook
Date: 8/30/2017
Abstract: This Facebook page is both a promotional and educational online resource where news, reviews, videos, further online resources, selected poems and content, and any related information is shared. Further content will be added throughout 2018.
URL: https://www.facebook.com/wordsforwar/

10 Ukrainian Fiction Books to Understanding Ukraine, its History, Culture, and Current War (Media Coverage)
Publication: Ukrainian Institute
Date: 4/26/2022
Abstract: Modern Ukrainian literature is a reflection of how the society in the country actually lives. In these 10 books you will find an understanding of what Ukrainian literary art is and how it reflects Ukrainian life.
URL: https://www.facebook.com/wordsforwar/posts/pfbid0UZhkdxyXkr2RayXWq9CaNcYcDkKaMYf2QyHy7agkXXnWzZwgjwvw1kZdXMhzcga8l

Women and war: Stories from the other front (Media Coverage)
Publication: CBC Radio
Date: 5/5/2022
Abstract: Stories of war often focus on the men who wage them. But how might we see conflicts differently when women tell the story?
URL: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/women-and-war-stories-from-the-other-front-1.6442482?fbclid=IwAR3xXKGQ9ckW5HFvss4LEA8GD_6pKqHvooBOXB2TCZ8w_L2_fJx2CbqxT04

Ian Ross Singleton reviews Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine, edited by Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky (Media Coverage)
Publication: Asymptote
Date: 4/1/2022
Abstract: Words for War: New Poems From Ukraine is a project begun in 2017 with a physical book as well as a website which additionally includes the original language versions and recordings of readings of the poems in the book.
URL: https://www.asymptotejournal.com/criticism/oksana-maksymchuk-and-max-rosochinsky-words-for-war-new-poems-from-ukraine/?fbclid=IwAR0Uy-JMCj7m4RRDQhi6oiJH6k8pO50cR0OIe68AGRQMcBQ4ulVK2_nGAxw

Associated Products

The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology (Book)
Title: The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology
Editor: Mark Andryczyk
Abstract: The publication of The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology commemorates the tenth year of the Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series. Co-sponsored by the Ukrainian Studies Program at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University and the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Series has recurrently organized readings in the U.S. for Ukraine’s leading writers since 2008. The anthology presents translations of literary works by Series guests on pivotal issues in today’s Ukraine. Featuring poetry, fiction, and essays by fifteen Ukrainian writers, the anthology offers English-language readers a wide array of literature written in Ukraine in the past fifty years.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/white-chalk-of-days-the-contemporary-ukrainian-literature-series-anthology/oclc/1002296896&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: https://www.academicstudiespress.com/browse-catalog/thewhitechalkofdays
Secondary URL Description: This is the publisher's listing; http://l.academicstudiespress.com/the-white-chalk-of-days is the open access interactive website.
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Boston: Academic Studies Press
Type: Edited Volume
Type: Translation
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9781618116611
Translator: Multiple
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine (Book)
Title: Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine
Editor: Max Rosochinsky
Editor: Oksana Maksymchuk
Abstract: The armed conflict in the east of Ukraine brought about an emergence of a distinctive trend in contemporary Ukrainian poetry: the poetry of war. Directly and indirectly, the poems collected in this volume engage with the events and experiences of war, reflecting on the themes of alienation, loss, dislocation, and disability; as well as justice, heroism, courage, resilience, generosity, and forgiveness. In addressing these themes, the poems also raise questions about art, politics, citizenship, and moral responsibility. The anthology brings together poetic voices from different regions of Ukraine. Young and old, female and male, somber and ironic, tragic and playful, filled with extraordinary terror and ordinary human delights, the voices recreate the human sounds of war in its tragic complexity.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/words-for-war-new-poems-from-ukraine/oclc/1028531197&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: https://www.academicstudiespress.com/browse-catalog/wordsforwar
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Boston: Academic Studies Press
Type: Edited Volume
Type: Translation
Type: Scholarly Edition
ISBN: 9781618116666
Translator: Multiple
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine (Web Resource)
Title: Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine
Author: Oksana Maksymchuk
Author: Max Rosochinsky
Abstract: The armed conflict in the east of Ukraine brought about an emergence of a distinctive trend in contemporary Ukrainian poetry: the poetry of war. Directly and indirectly, the poems collected in this volume engage with the events and experiences of war, reflecting on the themes of alienation, loss, dislocation, and disability; as well as justice, heroism, courage, resilience, generosity, and forgiveness. In addressing these themes, the poems also raise questions about art, politics, citizenship, and moral responsibility. The anthology brings together some of the most compelling poetic voices from different regions of Ukraine. Young and old, female and male, somber and ironic, tragic and playful, filled with extraordinary terror and ordinary human delights, the voices recreate the human sounds of war in its tragic complexity.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.wordsforwar.com/
Primary URL Description: This is the open access edition of the printed volume "Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine." This site offers content from the book, including poems, introductions, and biographies. Additional content separate from the book includes translator essays, videos, and the poems original Ukrainian or Russian versions. Content will continue to be uploaded to this site over the course of 2018.

The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology (Web Resource)
Title: The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology
Author: Mark Andryczyk
Abstract: The publication of The White Chalk of Days: The Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series Anthology commemorates the tenth year of the Contemporary Ukrainian Literature Series. Co-sponsored by the Ukrainian Studies Program at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University and the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Series has recurrently organized readings in the US for Ukraine’s leading writers since 2008. The anthology presents translations of literary works by Series guests that imaginatively engage pivotal issues in today’s Ukraine and express its tribulations and jubilations. Featuring poetry, fiction, and essays by fifteen Ukrainian writers, the anthology offers English-language readers a wide array of the most beguiling literature written in Ukraine in the past fifty years.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.whitechalkofdays.com/
Primary URL Description: This is the open access web resource for "The White Chalk of Days" volume. This includes content from the print volume, including poems, fiction, and excerpts. Content not included in the print volume but available here include videos and interviews. Content will continue to be added here over the course of 2018.

2017 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Conference Book Presentation (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: 2017 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Conference Book Presentation
Author: Oleh Kotsyuba
Author: Vitaly Chernetsky
Author: Mark Andryczyk
Author: Max Rosochinsky
Author: Oksana Lutsyshyna
Author: Polina Barskova
Author: Olena Haleta
Abstract: A book launch/discussion was held at the annual Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Conference in Chicago, IL. The event, hosted by the American Association for Ukrainian Studies and Academic Studies Press, was moderated by Oleh Kotsyuba and featured Vitaly Chernetsky, Mark Andryczyk, Max Rosochinsky, Oksana Lutsyshyna, Polina Barskova, and Olena Haleta. Several excerpts of both volumes were read, a general discussion on the publication of the volumes, their significance, and their selection and translation process was had, and several videos and supplementary material was shown.
Date: 9/22/2017
Primary URL: https://youtu.be/yjncsDY1pTw
Conference Name: Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies

"The White Chalk of Days" and "Words for War" Videos (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: "The White Chalk of Days" and "Words for War" Videos
Writer: Academic Studies Press / Borderlines: Foundation for Academic Studies
Director: Academic Studies Press / Borderlines: Foundation for Academic Studies
Producer: Oleh Kotsyuba
Abstract: Several videos of well-known US poets, translators, and scholars reading the translated poems were created to add a visual aspect to the project. In addition to being used as promotional pieces, we hope these will be used as educational aids in the classroom to stimulate engaging conversation and explore various methods of reading the poetry.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQdlPMhtgC7snm-WSlcoeog/playlists
Primary URL Description: There are two playlists on this channel. They include: "The White Chalk of Days": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4NXYLSAf_GkqJKqPmKyNfY8dhc9TTTN "Words for War": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4NXYLSAf_HrFlqfVc3lqNJoEUcTRrE4 Great interest has been generated around these videos and more are scheduled for 2018.
Access Model: Open
Format: Digital File

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