Living in Words – New German translations of Ukrainian literature + Books on Ukraine from German publishers

The atlas shows what is happening in Ukraine, and what is being destroyed there. It appears in German, Ukrainian and...

The atlas shows what is happening in Ukraine, and what is being destroyed there. It appears in German, Ukrainian and English. And of course in Russian.

"When Russia invaded my country, Ukraine, my parents, my dog and I took refuge in a bomb shelter that seemed...

"When Russia invaded my country, Ukraine, my parents, my dog and I took refuge in a bomb shelter that seemed completely surreal to me. And because there was WiFi there and the days were incredibly long and boring, I posted videos to show people my new home. Some of these videos even went viral around the world." Valeria decides to show the world her home city of Chernihiv and tell the true story of what is happening. None of us could ever have imagined such images and stories coming out of the heart of Europe in the 21st century; none of us ever wanted to. And the horror does not end with her flight to Milan, because when she gets there, Putin's bombs catch up with her and strike her right in the heart.  

Life is good in Rondo. The air is crystal clear, flowers are in bloom everywhere, and some people even go...

Life is good in Rondo. The air is crystal clear, flowers are in bloom everywhere, and some people even go around singing! Friends Danko, Zirka and Fabian wouldn't ever want to be anywhere else. But suddenly, something terrible happens: war comes to their little town. Dark and threatening, huge and overwhelming. It brings destruction in its wake, and nothing and nobody can stop it. Until the three friends make a wonderful discovery, and darkness gives way to light. A homage to peace, resistance and hope. And a story that helps even young children to understand inexplicable things, gives us courage, and shows that there is always something we can do – even in the face of war.

Like her fellow Ukrainians, Julia Solska always felt that Russia was a threat to Ukraine. But she could never have...

Like her fellow Ukrainians, Julia Solska always felt that Russia was a threat to Ukraine. But she could never have imagined that Vladimir Putin would attack her homeland and wage a brutal war on it – until the day she was awoken in her flat in Kyiv on 24 February 2022 by bombs going off, and saw the people around her panicking. Like millions of other Ukrainians, she decided to flee, and after a long journey she arrived in Germany. In her diary she gives a striking account of what it is like when your life changes overnight – in the most literal sense of the word – and you have to cope with mortal fear.

The contributors to this volume – writers, academics and activists, artists and journalists – capture a sense of simultaneity: the...

The contributors to this volume – writers, academics and activists, artists and journalists – capture a sense of simultaneity: the ruining of lives and the places in which they are lived; civilian and military self-assertion; the desire to create a new, peaceful homeland. They describe and analyse the situation of traumatised people in wartime – how these people are profoundly changed, and yet are able to find themselves again in very uncertain times.

In this picture book, Yaroslava Black sensitively depicts the experiences of a child confronted with death. Her own memories of...

In this picture book, Yaroslava Black sensitively depicts the experiences of a child confronted with death. Her own memories of her childhood in Ukraine, and the surviving customs there, form the basis of this moving but also joyful story.

Ever since the war broke out, the 'Pictoric' network, based in Kyiv, has been collecting works by Ukrainian illustrators dealing...

Ever since the war broke out, the 'Pictoric' network, based in Kyiv, has been collecting works by Ukrainian illustrators dealing with the Russian army's invasion of their homeland. There are quiet, personal works, bold works featuring militant slogans, and works that are abstract and universal. The images combine the urgency of the historical situation with the clearly formulated aspiration of the initiative to get these images out into the world. The images give an unexpectedly deep insight into the horrors of the war and the mental state of Ukrainian society. But they also give hope, because where there is still art, all cannot be lost.

An illustrated war diary from Ukraine. In her notebook, Olga Grebennik describes her experiences and sketches them with an ordinary...

An illustrated war diary from Ukraine. In her notebook, Olga Grebennik describes her experiences and sketches them with an ordinary pencil. She captures her inner world, while the outside world is bombarded by planes. The notebook becomes her only support. A moving testimony of the invasion of Ukraine.

With the war in Ukraine, a new era has begun in Europe. At its heart, the conflict is about the...

With the war in Ukraine, a new era has begun in Europe. At its heart, the conflict is about the interpretation of the history of a huge country which has been a bone of contention between the great powers for centuries. It is seen as the cradle of Russian civilisation and was a mythical place for the ancient Greeks; it has been controlled by many different rulers including the Vikings, the Mongols, Austria-Hungary, Poland and the Soviets, who managed to wear down Ukrainian resistance through the 'Holodomor' – the cruel starvation of the population. In this knowledgeable and eloquent book, Harvard professor Serhii Plokhy demonstrates that the Ukrainians are a people with their own language, traditions and history. The Gateway to Europe is perhaps the most important book on this subject for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the background to the present conflict. It shows how Ukraine became a political football for the East and the West, and how it nevertheless managed to preserve its own identity.

"When day broke, a shockwave went around the world: almost 23 years after NATO's attack on Yugoslavia, there was open...

"When day broke, a shockwave went around the world: almost 23 years after NATO's attack on Yugoslavia, there was open warfare in Europe once again." With these words, Jörg Kronauer introduces his account of the background to the war which, with the Russian invasion in February 2022, erupted out of the Ukraine conflict. It is one of the two major conflicts the West has been preparing for for years. One of these conflicts is with Russia, which has stabilised since its dramatic decline in the 1990s and is now insisting on playing an independent role in global politics. The other conflict is with China, which is rapidly developing into a global power. The transatlantic nations want to prevent this. The power struggle against Russia and China is being played out in the fields of politics, business and the media. And military deployments are increasingly forming part of it too. This book shows that a future military confrontation (which, if the situation continued to escalate, could lead to an all-out world war) is the logical outcome of this kind of politics.

Martin Schulze Wessel, a renowned historian of Eastern Europe, puts the invasion of Ukraine into the wider context of Russian-Ukrainian...

Martin Schulze Wessel, a renowned historian of Eastern Europe, puts the invasion of Ukraine into the wider context of Russian-Ukrainian history and shows how Russia's imperial past is still having an impact on the present.

Eastern Europe expert Gwendolyn Sasse explains the background to the conflict, describes the course the war has taken and reflects...

Eastern Europe expert Gwendolyn Sasse explains the background to the conflict, describes the course the war has taken and reflects on what its consequences will be: for Russia, for Ukraine, but also for us in the West.

In his novel, literary virtuoso Serhiy Zhadan transforms the industrial belt of the Donbas into a fantastical landscape. Here, on...

In his novel, literary virtuoso Serhiy Zhadan transforms the industrial belt of the Donbas into a fantastical landscape. Here, on the edge of Europe, the dream of freedom is dreamed in a very different way: as a search for somewhere to call home in the midst of a boundless space. Herman, a young advertising entrepreneur, receives an ominous phone call: his brother, who runs a petrol station on the edge of the steppe, has disappeared without trace. Herman goes to the petrol station, meets his brother's employees, falls in love with Olha, the idiosyncratic bookkeeper, and tries to protect the petrol station from attacks by a local oligarch. He soon realises there is much more at stake here: happiness and the meaning of life.

In The Frontline, historian Serhii Plokhy analyses pivotal developments in the history of Ukraine. In recent years Plokhy has written...

In The Frontline, historian Serhii Plokhy analyses pivotal developments in the history of Ukraine. In recent years Plokhy has written many books on Ukraine that have been very successful in the English-speaking world. In this book he presents the most important insights and analyses from his historical research in a concise and trenchant way, highlighting key events, developments and turning points and putting them into their historical context: this includes Ukraine's complex relationship with Russia and with the West, the impact of catastrophes like the Holodomor and the Second World War, the importance of Chernobyl, and Ukraine's influence on the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This book paints a multidimensional portrait of a country that has involuntarily come to dominate the headlines. In his accessible and knowledgeable account, Plokhy goes to the roots of the longstanding political, cultural and military conflict in Ukraine. His insights are as enlightening as they are alarming.

Sabuschko unfurls a continually developing tapestry of Ukrainian history for the reader. In tone, the book is combative, emotional, provocative...

Sabuschko unfurls a continually developing tapestry of Ukrainian history for the reader. In tone, the book is combative, emotional, provocative and angry.

Zaporizhia, Ukraine, in the late 1920s: Stalin wants to build the Dnieper Dam, a centrepiece and prestige project of Soviet...

Zaporizhia, Ukraine, in the late 1920s: Stalin wants to build the Dnieper Dam, a centrepiece and prestige project of Soviet industrialisation. Chaim Katz is appointed as the site manager, and his wife Darya, who is nostalgic for her glamorous youth as a duchess, is made head of propaganda. Hoping to give her life meaning again, the ex-duchess plans a Christmas ball amid the ominous atmosphere of betrayal and threatened purges. Such counterrevolutionary activities cannot remain secret for long, however – and Darya Katz must pay a heavy price.

This analysis by Eastern Europe expert Sabine Adler not only looks at Ukraine and the present war, but also at...

This analysis by Eastern Europe expert Sabine Adler not only looks at Ukraine and the present war, but also at the role played by Germany – economically, politically and in terms of the media – with regard to the invaded country. Adler, who has been a clear-sighted observer for many years, reflects critically on the situation.

Markiyan Kamysch is the son of a so-called 'liquidator', a member of one of the rescue and clean-up teams called...

Markiyan Kamysch is the son of a so-called 'liquidator', a member of one of the rescue and clean-up teams called in to deal with the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Since 2010, Kamysch has been carrying out illegal investigations inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. He has now spent almost a year recording his experiences in the area around the nuclear power plant and the nearby city of Pripyat, which is contaminated by radiation.

This collection is a homage cum ira et studio to the courageous people of Ukraine, and my very personal declaration...

This collection is a homage cum ira et studio to the courageous people of Ukraine, and my very personal declaration of solidarity with their bravery, their endurance and their desire for freedom: learning from Ukraine means learning Europe!

Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother Volodymyr Pavliv, who was killed on the frontline in 2017. She writes...

Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother Volodymyr Pavliv, who was killed on the frontline in 2017. She writes from the perspective of a civilian and a woman – perspectives that rarely feature in accounts of war – and concentrates on the stories that play out far away from the warzone.