Olesya Khromeychuk

A moving and thought-provoking story of loss and war *** 'Elegantly written... packed with the sharpness of moments when a death suddenly becomes real' -TLS 'If you want to understand Ukraine's determination to resist, Olesya Khromeychuk's book is essential.' -Paul Mason, author of How to Stop Fascism 'A touching and brilliantly written account about grief, and also about strength. I read it in one night.' -Olia Hercules 'If you read only one book about the war, this is the one to read.' -Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm [A] tender and courageous book... Khromeychuk's clear-sighted prose expresses the pain that thousands, even millions, have felt, not just in Ukraine now but in every conflict, past and present. -The Literary Review Magazine WITH A FOREWORD BY PHILIPPE SANDS AND AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOV Killed by shrapnel as he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Olesya Khromeychuk's brother Volodymyr died on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. As Olesya tries to come to terms with losing her brother, she also tries to process the Russian invasion of Ukraine: as an immigrant living far from the frontline, as a historian of war and how societies respond to them, and as a woman, a civilian, and a sister. In this timely blend of memoir and essay, Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother - the wiser older sibling, the artist and the soldier - and of his death. Deeply moving and thoughtful, The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister picks apart the ways political violence shapes everyone and everything it touches and depicts with extraordinary intimacy the singular and complicated bond between a brother and sister. Olesya's vivid writing is a personal and powerful commitment to honesty in life, in death and in memory. 'Soon before he died, my brother said he had become a warrior. Why would a thinker, an artist, wish to become a soldier? Perhaps I didn't appreciate what it meant to be a thinker and an artist, or, maybe, what it meant to be a soldier.' 'In vivid, intimate prose and with unflinching honesty, Olesya Khromeychuk introduces us to the brother she lost in the war and found in her grief.' -Dr Rory Finnin, University of Cambridge 'I admire a book that invites me to grapple with knotty questions. Olesya Khromeychuk has written such a book - beautifully.' - Professor Cynthia Enloe, author of Nimo's War 'Moving, intelligent, and brilliantly written.' -Anna Reid, author of Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine

The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister

Philippe Sands

Andreĭ Kurkov

Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister

« J’ai écrit ce livre pour lutter contre mes propres démons : le chagrin, la rancune, la peur. Je l’ai écrit pour tenter de trouver un sens à une perte : la perte d’un soldat parmi les milliers de pertes subies par l’armée ukrainienne ; celle d’un frère unique à mes yeux. En couchant ces textes sur le papier, j’ai voulu échapper à la noirceur du deuil, me soulager de la haine qui semait ses graines en moi, pour tenter d’avancer. Ce livre donne un nom, et une histoire, à une seule des vies humaines perdues au cours de cette guerre, mais j’espère qu’il pourra servir à consoler d’autres cœurs endeuillés. » Que faire du souvenir d’un frère ? Comment lui survivre et faire vivre ce lien intime et si singulier dans un contexte où la violence politique emporte tout sur son passage ? Mêlant témoignage, souvenirs et réflexions, ce livre d’une grande honnêteté est une bouleversante traversée du deuil et un hommage, rempli de tendresse et de chagrin, à un frère perdu au combat, mais retrouvé par l’art et l’écriture. « Intime et personnelle, cette chronique d’un amour et d’un deuil transcende les époques et les lieux ; brutale et universelle, elle soulève la seule question qui demeure : pourquoi ? » Philippe Sands

La mort d'un frère

One of the most controversial yet least studied pages of Ukraine's Second World War history is that of the Waffen SS 'Galicia' Division. This book examines the variety of often conflicting narratives created by the Division members, their supporters and their opponents, as well as the continuing influence of these narratives today.

Post-war Narratives of the Waffen SS "Galicia" Division

"Undetermined" Ukrainians

The Story of a Dead Soldier Told by His Sister

A Loss

"This book is the story of one death among many in the war in eastern Ukraine. Its author is a historian of war whose brother was killed at the frontline in 2017 while serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Olesya Khromeychuk takes the point of view of a civilian and a woman, perspectives that tend to be neglected in war narratives, and focuses on the stories that play out far away from the warzone. Through a combination of personal memoir and essay, Khromeychuk attempts to help her readers understand the private experience of this still ongoing but almost forgotten war in the heart of Europe and the private experience of war as such. This book will resonate with anyone battling with grief and the shock of the sudden loss of a loved one." --

A Loss: The Story of a Dead Soldier Told by His Sister

This book is the story of one death among many in the war in eastern Ukraine. Its author is a historian of war whose brother was killed at the frontline in 2017 while serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Olesya Khromeychuk takes the point of view of a civilian and a woman, perspectives that tend to be neglected in war narratives, and focuses on the stories that play out far away from the warzone. Through a combination of personal memoir and essay, Khromeychuk attempts to help her readers understand the private experience of this still ongoing but almost forgotten war in the heart of Europe and the private experience of war as such. This book will resonate with anyone battling with grief and the shock of the sudden loss of a loved one.

Olesya Khromeychuk

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