In the Hour of War: Poetry from Ukraine

Take immortality, God, but give 
me this cold apple cellar. Take the souls 
and other toys, but let us live: not-Adam and not-Eve, not your son’s— 
my son’s life.

Dmitry Bliznyk, translated by Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky

Is there a light on inside?—Yes, he’s always at home. 
Knock at the door of the horseradish. 
Knock on the door of his hut. 
Knock, he will let you in.

Oleh Lysheha, translated by James Brasfield

February 24 marked the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, inaugurating the escalation of an ongoing war that has displaced over 10 million Ukrainians and killed thousands of civilians. In the Hour of War: Poetry from Ukraine, published in 2023, gathers English-language translations by 27 contemporary Ukrainian poets writing in the shadow of Russian aggression. In addition to serving as an urgent reminder of the unbearable human cost of war, the poems in this anthology are an excellent introduction to the varied and vibrant landscape of contemporary Ukrainian poetry. Readers will encounter works by poets with many published collections, as well as works that have been less widely translated. The remarkable poems in this essential collection offer a window into the ongoing experience of the Ukrainian people, and will invite deeper engagement with individual poets' work.