The Ukrainian Institute of America hosted a literary event, Books at the Institute, a presentation of the historical novel No Country for Love. This is the debut book by Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. The book, inspired by the life of the author's grandmother, tells the story of the difficult fate of Ukrainians in the midst of the historical events of the twentieth century.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Institute of America.
"No Country for Love" is a large-scale historical novel that reflects the fate of Ukraine in the twentieth century. In particular, it tells the story of a young heroine who overcomes challenges and trials after arriving in Kharkiv.
During the discussion, Trofimov shared that he was inspired to write the book by the memoirs of his grandmother, who witnessed these events.
"This is a detective story, a tragic love story, and an exploration of what it takes to survive in the darkest of times. It is based in part on my family's real-life experiences during the most brutal years of the 20th century," the author said.
According to him, the story is set in Ukraine between 1930 and 1953, a period when it was "the deadliest place on the planet".
"Millions of Ukrainians died from the Holodomor, political repression, the Holocaust, the horrors of war and partisan warfare. What did it mean to survive in those times? And what was the price? I started working on this book in 2014, when war first returned to Ukraine, and finished it just before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The imaginary scenes of Kyiv's destruction became reality just a few weeks later," Trofimov added.
The book launch was not only a literary event, but also a platform for reflection on Ukrainian history and the struggle for freedom. The event featured a conversation between the author and Will Chancellor, fiction editor at The Brooklyn Rail. The moderator emphasized the importance of literature as a means of preserving historical memory. After the official part, guests had the opportunity to purchase a book signed by the author and to participate in an informal conversation at the Ukrainian Institute of America.
The historical saga has already received recognition from well-known authors and critics. Vilni Media has collected several review theses.
"A shocking depiction of life under a totalitarian regime. With the sharp pen of an award-winning journalist and the tender heart of a poet, Yaroslav Trofimov has created an exquisite and unforgettable story of survival, courage and resistance. Epic yet intimate, heartbreaking yet hopeful, terrifying yet inspiring, No Country for Love is a love letter to Ukraine and a gift to all who value peace."-Nguyen Phan Ke Mai, internationally acclaimed author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child.
"Through the saga of a Jewish-Ukrainian family that unfolds from the 1930s to the postwar years, Yaroslav Trofimov creates a literary epic set against the backdrop of the 'blood lands' - to borrow a title from Timothy Snyder's book - that suffered the crimes of Nazism and Stalinism. It is a large-scale novel that reminds us of the humanity and depth of historical events, similar to those found in the life and fate of Vasily Grossman."-Christophe Boltanski, winner of the 2015 Prix Femina for La Cache.
"Strong, incisive, and unsentimental, No Country for Love is a powerful moral manifesto that reads like a thriller. Its heroine learns to do what she must do, day by day, to survive one of the 20th century's most horrific eras. It is also an unflinching tale of the suffering of ordinary Ukrainians - from the Holodomor to the horrors of World War II to the death of Stalin. At times chilling, at times moving, at times inspiring, this gripping and essential novel illuminates a history whose final chapters are still being written before the eyes of the world."-James Hynes, author of Next and Sparrow.
Author: Inna Mikhno