When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Victoria Amelina was busy writing a novel, taking part in the country’s literary scene, and parenting her son. In an instant she became someone new: a war crimes researcher and the chronicler of extraordinary women like herself who joined the resistance.
Everyone in Ukraine knew that Amelina was documenting the war. She photographed the ruins of schools and cultural centers; she recorded the testimonies of survivors and eyewitnesses to atrocities. And she slowly turned back into a storyteller, writing what would become this book, and appearing at Hay Festival events around the world.
On the evening of 27 June 2023, Amelina and three international writers stopped for dinner in the embattled Donetsk region. When a Russian cruise missile hit the restaurant, Amelina suffered grievous head injuries, and lost consciousness. She died on 1 July.
She left behind this incredible account of the ravages of war and the cost of resistance. Honest, intimate, and wry, this book will be celebrated as a classic.
Read it? Let us know what you think on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram using #HFBookClub.
Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina posthumously receives Prix Voltaire Special Award, Kyiv Independent
Victoria Amelina’s unfinished book is a searing emblem of Ukrainian resistance, Tortoise Media
Victoria Amelina, in memoriam
Victoria Amelina was an award-winning Ukrainian novelist, essayist, poet, and human rights activist whose prose and poems have been translated into many languages. In 2019/2020 she lived and traveled extensively in the US. She wrote both in Ukrainian and English, and her essays have appeared in Irish Times, Dublin Review of Books, and Eurozine.
Timeless titles to offer you a break from the day to day. Can't decide what to read next? Follow your curiosity and join Hay Festival on a journey to imagine the world anew through great literature. Unconstrained by genre or form these are our monthly picks of great books worth reading (or re-reading) right now.
Throughout the month, we'll share interesting links and articles relating to our selection on social media using #HFBookClub and invite you all to get involved with your questions and comments. Each selection will also be marked with a free online event.
If you'd like to recommend a book for consideration, get in touch via bookclub@hayfestival.org.
Happy reading!
