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The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

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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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Ukrainian schools hear air-alert wails instead of the first-bell welcome

Thousands of Ukrainian children mark a milestone on Sept. 1 by stepping into a new world of classrooms and learning, with the "first bell" ceremony traditionally marking this transition. Yet this year, the "first bell" was forced underground as Russia pounded Kyiv with aerial attacks for the sixth consecutive day, as across the country, hundreds of thousands of pupils see their school life disrupted by Russia's full-scale war. Nataliia Maievska, the director of a secondary school with an empha

Ukraine war latest: Russian strike kills at least 12 in Kyiv and suburbs, including 6 rail workers

Key developments on Sept. 1: * 12 killed in Kyiv and suburbs, including 6 rail workers, as Russian barrage enters 6th day * Estonia, Romania report drone incursions amid Russian and Ukrainian aerial attacks * Ukraine's PM announces major audit of Defense Ministry needs * Ukraine confirms drone strike on Russia’s Ust-Luga port At least 12 people were killed and 21 others injured in Kyiv and the surrounding oblast overnight on Sept. 1, as Russia launched a ballistic missile attack amid a day

Bonfire of the treaties: Europe's next step to break from Russia

Several EU countries are pushing for the bloc to collectively scrap 16 investment treaties with Russia that Moscow has used to pursue claims against European companies — and that remain a potential obstacle to putting frozen Russian assets to work for Ukraine. Belgium, where the bulk of the roughly 200 billion euros ($233 billion) in Russian assets are held, made ditching the treaties a condition for backing an EU plan to use those funds to aid Kyiv during talks last December. Mostly signed at

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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