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'Hemingway Knows Nothing': Ukraine's writers are redefining literature of war
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'Hemingway Knows Nothing': Ukraine's writers are redefining literature of war

by Kate Tsurkan

When war, loss, and unimaginable suffering become routine, a book can offer a kind of lifeline — especially one by a writer who has lived through such an ordeal and tried to make sense of it. At the start of Russia’s full-scale war, some Ukrainians speculated if they’d see the rise of their own Ernest Hemingway: a writer whose books would not only capture the experience of a generation but come to define it. Yet it soon became clear that the old paradigms of war literature no longer spoke to t

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Ukraine condemns inclusion of controversial Russian film in upcoming Venice Film Festival

"At a time when Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, systematically destroying our cities, cultural heritage and national identity, granting one of the world’s most prestigious cultural platforms to a project connected to the Russian state and its networks of influence sends an extremely troubling signal," the Foreign Ministry said.

Ukraine war latest: Over 239,000 KIA Russian soldiers identified by media investigation

Key developments on Aug. 17: * Over 239,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation * Ukraine's acting police chief reveals scale of draft evasion investigations * New Russian drone launch pads near Ukraine put NATO countries in range, Telegraph reports * Russia, North Korea to continue cooperation 'in all sectors,' Putin says on Korean Liberation Day Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the id

Europe's tourism boom has left the east behind. The EU wants to change that

Europe's tourism industry is thriving, but the recovery has been uneven across the bloc. While western countries enjoyed a steady rebound after the pandemic and lockdowns, tourism in the EU's easternmost members was hit by another crisis: the war on their doorstep. Now, they're looking to EU support to give their tourism industries the boost they need to revive their economies and help their border regions flourish. Seven EU countries signed off on a joint appeal to the bloc on July 23, which

Analysis: Russia doubles down, setting stage for new phase of total war

Two large and heavily armed states locked in an existential armed struggle. Hundreds of thousands of casualties. Mass mobilization. Systematic long-range strike campaigns against the enemy's economy and infrastructure. Defense budgets swallowing huge proportions of state spending. All these factors evoke an image of "total war" — the kind of interstate conflict where state, society, and economy are all not only an active part of the war effort but also a target of enemy strikes. Russia's full-

Firefighting helicopter attempts to extinguish a fire at a logistics complex in Elektrostal, Russia, on July 18, 2026.

About Culture

Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian culture
Ukrainian culture has survived centuries of Russian attempts to appropriate Ukrainian art, silence Ukrainian artists, and erase the Ukrainian language. Modern Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, and musicians — some of whom are serving on the front lines — continue to develop Ukrainian culture and fight for Ukraine’s future.
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