Dog Park

 By Sofi Oksanen
Translated by Owen Frederick Witesman

Sep 21, 2021

Published by Penguin Random House

411 pages

ISBN: 9780525659488

 

INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER • Set in Ukraine and Finland, a captivating story of intrigue, betrayal, and murder in the global fertility market--from acclaimed writer Sofi Oksanen, "an international publishing sensation frequently likened to Stieg Larsson" (The Guardian).

Helsinki, 2016. Olenka sits on a bench, watching a family play in a dog park. A stranger sits down beside her. Olenka startles; she would recognize this other woman anywhere. After all, Olenka was the one who ruined her life. And this woman may be about to do the same to Olenka. Yet, for a fragile moment, here they are, together—looking at their own children being raised by other people.
 
Moving seamlessly between modern-day Finland and Ukraine in the early days of its post-Soviet independence, Dog Park is a keenly observed, dark, and propulsive novel set at the intersection of East and West, centered on a web of exploitation and the commodification of the female body.
 
Sofi Oksanen brings fearless psychological acuity to this captivating story about a woman unable to escape the memory of her lost child, the ruthless powers that still hunt her, and the lies that could well end up saving her.

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Park-novel-Sofi-Oksanen-ebook/dp/B08K7LM72S 

Independence Square

 

by Martin Cruz Smith

First published May 9, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

268 pages

ISBN-13:

978-1398510425

 

 

 

 Detective Arkaday Renko—“one of the most compelling figures in modern fiction” (USA TODAY)—risks his life when he heads to Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion to find an anti-Putin activist who has mysteriously disappeared.

Martin Cruz Smith has written nine previous novels featuring Arkady Renko, one of modern detective fiction’s most popular characters. These novels, beginning with 1981’s international sensation Gorky Park, have collectively traced Russia's evolution over the last half-century. Now, with Independence Square, Smith focuses on the fraught and frenzied days leading up to Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

It’s June 2021, and Arkady knows that Russia is preparing to invade and subsequently annex Ukraine as it did Crimea in 2014. He is, however, preoccupied with other grievances. His longtime lover, Tatiana Petrovna, has deserted him for her work as an investigative reporter. His corrupt boss has relegated him to a desk job. And he is having trouble with his dexterity and balance. A visit to his doctor reveals that these are symptoms for Parkinson’s Disease.

This is an ingenious autobiographical conceit, as Martin Cruz Smith has Parkinson’s, and is able through Arkady to movingly describe his own experience with the disease. Parkinson’s hasn’t stopped Smith from his work, and neither does it stop Arkady. Rather than dwell on his diagnosis, he throws himself into another case.

An acquaintance has asked him to find his daughter, Karina, an anti-Putin activist who has disappeared. In the course of the investigation, Arkady falls for Karina's roommate, Elena, a Tatar from Ukraine. The search leads them to Kyiv, where rumblings of an armed conflict grow louder. Later, in Crimea, Tatiana reemerges to complicate Arkady’s new romance. And as he gets closer to locating Karina, Arkady discovers something that threatens his life as well as the lives of both Elena and Tatiana.

Few fiction writers have better captured contemporary Russia with more insight or authenticity than Martin Cruz Smith. He does the same here for Ukraine and the events that preceded Russia’s invasion. Independence Square is a timely and a uniquely personal mystery novel-meets-political thriller by a master of the form.

Source: https://www.amazon.ca/Independence-Square-Arkady-Ukraine-Novels-ebook/dp/B0BHTQX25J 

 

 

 

 

The Exile: A Novel about Taras Shevchenko

by Zinaida Tulub

 

first published in English by Dnipro Publishers, Kyiv

January 1, 1988

ISBN-10 ‏: ‎ 5308002215 |  ISBN-13 ‏: ‎ 978-5308002215

 

more recent edition published by Glagoslav Publications B.V. 

November. 1, 2015

446 pages   

ISBN-10 ‏: ‎ 178437962X | ISBN-13 ‏: ‎ 978-1784379629

A Deep Dive into Zinaida Tulub’s The Exile (In the Endless Steppe Beyond the Ural)

by Inna Rozum-Tuka

In the vast tapestry of Ukrainian literature, Zinaida Tulub stands out as a remarkable figure.

Her novel, "In the Endless Steppe Beyond the Ural" (also known as "The Exile"), is a poignant reflection of her personal struggles and the broader Ukrainian experience. Written after nearly two decades of her imprisonment and exile in Kazakhstan, this work delves into the life of Taras Shevchenko, the most renowned Ukrainian author and artist, during his exile as a soldier.

Author Biography

Zinaida Tulub was born on November 28, 1890, in Kyiv to Pavlo Oleksandrovych and Yelyzaveta Vasylivna. Her grandfather, Oleksandr, was a member of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which played a significant role in her return to her Ukrainian roots. Despite being sickly as a child, Zinaida received a strong home education, particularly excelling in French. The Tulub household was a hub of literary activity, frequented by notable writers like Alexander Kuprin and Ivan Bunin, who influenced Zinaida's early works.

Tulub's literary career spans three significant periods. The first was before 1917, marked by youthful and romantic works. The second period, from 1926 to 1937, included her famous novel "Ludolovy," which introduced the story of Roxolana to Ukrainian culture. This period ended tragically with her imprisonment during Stalin's purges. After her release, despite her failing health, Tulub continued to write, producing "In the Endless Steppe Beyond the Ural."

Plot

"In the Endless Steppe Beyond the Ural" explores the life of Taras Shevchenko during his first period of exile as a soldier, specifically in the Orsk Fortress and during his participation in the Aral Descriptive Expedition led by Alexey Butakov. The story culminates in Shevchenko's second arrest, followed by his exile to the Mangyshlak Peninsula. The novel is divided into two parts: the first focusing on Shevchenko's soldiering in the Orsk Fortress, and the second on the events of the Aral Descriptive Expedition.

The novel also includes a significant subplot revolving around the lives of Kazakhs, particularly focusing on the romantic and social struggles of Zhaisak and Kulzhan. This Kazakh storyline parallels Shevchenko's experiences and adds depth to the narrative, highlighting the broader impacts of Russian colonialism on different cultures and individuals.

Key Ideas After Discussion

Tulub’s novel is a profound exploration of Ukrainian identity and heritage. Through Shevchenko's experiences, she delves into themes of exile, submission, and the struggle for cultural and personal autonomy. The narrative is a testament to the resilience of the Ukrainian spirit.

While grounded in historical events, the novel is a work of fiction. Tulub blends real events with imaginative storytelling, creating a unique perspective on Shevchenko’s experiences. This fusion offers readers both historical insight and literary creativity, but it is essential to remember the fictional nature of the narrative.

The novel reflects on how works by Shevchenko, Tulub, and other authors have been used to serve specific political narratives. The concept of "little big brotherhood" often placed Ukrainians and Kazakhs in subordinate roles, shaping cultural narratives that downplayed their independence and identity. This dynamic perpetuates the view of Ukrainians and Kazakhs as "lower" nations compared to Russians, using literature to reinforce these hierarchies.

To fully appreciate works like Tulub’s, it's essential to provide historical context and explain the circumstances in which these books were written. This background enriches the reading experience and helps readers understand the true impact and significance of the narratives.

Relevance Today

Discussing books like "In the Endless Steppe Beyond the Ural" is incredibly relevant today. These conversations allow us to reflect on historical injustices, celebrate cultural resilience, and understand the power of literature in preserving national identity. Engaging with these works helps us connect to our roots and fosters a deeper appreciation for our cultural heritage.

Zinaida Tulub’s "The Exile" is more than just a novel; it is a bridge connecting past and present, history and fiction, personal and national identity. By delving into the life of Taras Shevchenko through the lens of her own experiences, Tulub offers a rich, multifaceted narrative that continues to resonate with readers today.

As we explore and discuss these literary treasures, we honor our past, inspire meaningful reflections on our history and identity, and realize the importance and power of the word.

***

“I will write! I will! I shall not be broken! You won’t stop my mouth!” he (Shevchenko) shouted into the empty steppe. “I cannot but write, just like the sun cannot but shine, just like the air cannot become solid and motionless! I will write! And all your prohibitions are impotent against the spoken word! Your sentence has only proved that my word is a weapon as well! And you are afraid of it!”

The Red Prince – The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke

by Timothy Snyder

Published by Basic Books

September, 28, 2010

352 pages

ISBN 10: 0465018971  |  ISBN 13: 9780465018970

 

 William von Habsburg wore the uniform of the Austrian officer, the court regalia of a Habsburg archduke, and, every so often, a dress. As a teenager during WWI, he chose for his kingdom the exotic and unknown land of Ukraine. But the collapse of his Ukrainian dream made him, by turns, an ally of German imperialists, a notorious French lover, an angry Austrian monarchist, a calm opponent of Hitler, and finally a British spy against Stalin. Acclaimed historian Timothy Snyder's The Red Prince offers an indelible portrait of a fascinating man who embodied the many contradictions of twentieth-century Europe. 

Source: https://www.amazon.ca/Red-Prince-Secret-Habsburg-Archduke/dp/0465018971 

Daughter

by Tamara Duda (Author), Daisy Gibbons (Translator)

Published by Mosaic Press

September 10, 2023 

Paperback: ‎ 350 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 1771616725  |  ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1771616720

The author states that her book "...is about courage, too, about the out-and-out courage to claim what is rightfully yours, to recognize it, to dig in your heels, and never give away to anyone what is yours, your home, your motherland, your heart, your right to walk with your head held high.... The author calls her novel Daughter part of the war effort. 

The heroine absorbs both what I (the Author) personally experienced and the experiences of many of the combatants, military volunteers, and displaced people whom fate brought together. She has become a 'stronghold' for many people. 'We shall live' says the heroine. 'Indeed, we shall!' I reply." from the Foreword by Tamara Duda This book surely will become a classic of war fiction and war journalism and a landmark for our understanding of what is happening in Ukraine today. 

Howard Aster discovered this book at the Lviv Literary Festival in late September 2021. On Friday, February 25, 2022, that infamous day when Ukrainians woke up to the reality of the russian war against them, the Publisher and the Author desperately made the English language book available to Mosaic Press with the hope that the world would better understand the terror of this continuing Russian war against Ukrainians. 

There is a powerful and courageous story here, about an author and how she wrote this book, how the book was published in Ukraine by a fearless small Ukrainian publisher, and how it is now made available to English language readers.

Source: https://www.amazon.ca/Daughter-Tamara-Duda/dp/1771616725   

The Extraordinary Lives of Ukrainian-Canadian Women: Oral Histories of the Twentieth Century

Edited by Iroida Wynnyckyj

Published by Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press

June 2022

400 pages

ISBN: 978-1-894865-65-4

 

 Summary by Darcia Hasey and Marta Bozdek

The recently published book (2022) The Extraordinary Lives of Ukrainian-Canadian Women: Oral Histories of the Twentieth Century, compiled and edited by Iroida Wynnyckyj, provides a fascinating snapshot of the tumultuous lives of 10 women in the periods before and during WWI, during the interwar years, during WWII and post WWII.

These interviews were chosen from among 250 oral histories collected by the UCRDC - Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre (Toronto) from women living in Canada, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Australia and the United States. A Ukrainian publication, The Extraordinary Lives of Ordinary Women: Oral Histories of the Twentieth Century (2013) includes 21 of the interviews plus three extensive charts cross-linking the interviewees and relevant event and location information so that researchers are able to search this valuable resource.

These women have given a different voice by chronicling their lives from a more personal perspective, a grassroots level, and thus provide a fuller and richer understanding of historical events. Some of these interviews have even provided primary source material for historians and also served as inspiration and background research for authors.

What we experience with these women’s stories are the trials and tribulations of living in times of great change. For them it’s the early and mid-20th century Ukraine. We see how they grew up in a stateless world; how they developed a national and civic conscience; and how they became involved in Ukrainian political activity. They experienced severe trauma, incarceration and witnessed death but had strength of character, were resilient and resourceful in their determination to survive.

In their view, they were just ordinary women experiencing and witnessing activities and events in extraordinary circumstances. The choices they made influenced how they moved forward and how, when they finally arrived in Canada, chose to live, raise their children, and succeed in life.

The archivist Iroida Wynnyckyj is involved in two new oral history projects:

1)   Daughters - next generation

2)   Ukrainian Women - War of 2022

If you are interested in learning more about the UCRDC, its website http://www.ucrdc.org/  is a rich source of information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iroida Wynnyckyj (seated) with some of the members of Rozmova Book Club.

Wheatshaft

 By Victor Malarek

Friesen Press

282 pages

October 29, 2021

 

 

 

An Evening with Victor Malarek

Summary by Karen Yarmol-Franko 

Rozmova Book Club hosted investigative journalist and author, Victor Malarek, to discuss his latest title, Wheatshaft. Victor Malarek drew from his experience as an investigative journalist with CTV’s W5 and CBC’s The Fifth Estate to write the novel, inventing characters and plotlines that are reminiscent of headlines from our daily news.

Here are some highlights from our discussion.

Rozmova: How did Victor come to write Wheatshaft?

A woman came to see Victor when he was reporting for CBC’s The Fifth Estate. The woman’s son, an international development worker, had committed suicide. He had blown his head off. His mother said she knew her son would never have taken his life, and that he had told her some stories about corruption within the aid agencies he was working for. Victor had seen photos of the gruesome “suicide” and consulted with a forensics expert as he had suspicions the young man’s mother was right. The forensics expert confirmed that there were no burn marks from the gun and the spatter indicated it was murder, not suicide. This story – along with Victor’s deep experience in seven war zones, his suspicions about corruption and misuse of funds in global aid agencies and the UN, and his loathing of russian oligarchs – all became pieces of the plotline of Wheatshaft.

Rozmova: How much of Matt Kozar’s character is based on Victor?

Victor admitted that Matt is based closely on his own life and experience as an investigative journalist. From a difficult childhood in foster care with a father suffering from PTSD, the deprivation of his connection to his Ukrainian roots, and a hard life that prepared him to take on bullies, Matt and Victor bear a remarkable resemblance. They also share a deep commitment to social justice.

Even Victor’s investigative methods for convincing people to reveal what they know are brought into Wheatshaft. Victor said that he’s often asked by journalism students how to get the information. “You need to have a burn in your gut to dig in and demand answers,” he said. “Journalists generally don’t chase far or deep enough. They don’t ask the hard questions. To go after bullies and stories, you can’t be afraid.”

Rozmova:  Are the organizations and people you name in the book based on real life organizations and the people who run them? For example, Global Crusade and its powerful evangelical minister, Lionel Power; the repugnant US Republican Senator Caine; the unscrupulous head of the UN International Food Fund, Gebran Kamra; and the ruthless russian oligarchs, Ivan and Sergei Melekov?

Victor said that Lionel Powers of Global Crusade is an amalgam of people in power in the international development field. Similarly, the depiction of russian oligarchs is drawn from his research on how they operate and carry out their menacing missions.

Rozmova: Is the newsroom environment an accurate depiction of your experience there?

The newsroom has changed with social media taking over and actual newsrooms being reduced to a skeleton staff. In Wheatshaft, Victor describes the newsroom he experienced where you had to take editors and bureau chiefs on and where sabotaging other journalists’ stories was commonplace. He said that some colleagues had your back while others were competing for the story.

Rozmova: As a writer, how did you move from investigative journalism where you must stick strictly to facts, to fiction where your imagination can take over?

Moving from investigative journalism to fiction is an easy transition for Victor. He draws upon truthful themes and embellishes the story while being free from the legal scrutiny required in all investigative documentaries. Victor admitted, however, that his editor, Sonia Holiad, told him to remove some parts from the first draft. After another read through, he agreed those passages didn’t add to the story.

Rozmova: What is your writing process?

Victor said, “Writing is an organic process. It just happens.” He said he didn’t attend any fiction-writing workshops, rather “the ideas come and I ask myself, ‘How can I unfold this?’” He has a notepad by his bed and he jots down ideas as they come to him. He sets out plotlines – A , B, C – and crafts each of them into a beginning, middle and end. He focuses heads down on just writing the book and then he goes back to the beginning to ensure all the plots and characters flow logically. He said it’s difficult to write about things you haven’t experienced so he draws heavily on his more than 325 investigative documentaries and the thousands of people he has met to tell a convincing story. “You have to be disciplined to write a book,” he says. “Concentrate on what you have to do and write like you have a deadline.” When he’s in the midst of writing, he’ll sometimes work from 10 am to 6 pm. Most of all, he says, “You have to have a dedication to want to do it.”

The evening closed with Rozmova wishing Victor a very happy birthday. We look forward to reading his new book where Matt will discover his roots and reveal more corruption based on current events in our world today.

Victor Malarek donates all proceeds from the sale of Wheatshaft to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

 

 

A Boy in Winter

 

By Rachel Seiffert

Vintage International Publishers

Published in 2018; copyright 2017

238 pages

ISBN: 978-0-8041-6880-9

 Summary by Uliana Pasicznyk

This poignant novel begins in Nazi-occupied Ukraine in November 1941. The German Wehrmacht has pushed the Soviet Red Army across much of western Ukraine and is advancing toward Kyiv.  Following the Wehrmacht, the German SS has arrived in the town where thirteen-year-old Yankel and his family live. Yasia, a seventeen-year-old Ukrainian girl, is in the town too, having arrived there from her family’s farm in the surrounding countryside. Stationed nearby is the German engineer Otto Pohl, whose task is to build a solid road for the Germans’ use. Their lives soon intertwine in a remarkable and memorable story.

In the town, people fear the SS’s presence and what its occupation means. Yankel’s parents and small sister are already in the crowd of people gathered in the brickworks factory in the centre of town, having been commanded to appear there along with all other Jews. But independent-minded Yankel has no intention of heading there. His little brother, Momik, is with him, and he must find some other place for the two of them to go.

Ostensibly Yasia has come to town to sell fruit, but her real aim is to see Mykola, her beloved, who abandoned the retreating Red Army and has begun policing for the Germans. Venturing out at dusk to seek him out, Yasia chances upon the two brothers keeping to the shadows along a dark side street. What are they doing out here, she wonders fretfully, especially now, when the whole village is strange and times are troubled? When the boys follow her, she realizes they have no place to go. Apprehensive and reluctant though she is, Yasia hides them in the loft of her cousin’s barn.

Outside the town, Otto continues to oversee his workers and report on the construction of the road that is his responsibility. But he is uneasy, and he avoids dealing with the SS and German military in the area. Why are they still here, he wonders irritably, when the victorious Wehrmacht has marched on? Why is he obliged to make local men labour on the road for such long stretches of time without adequate food or rest, resulting in less than good work? And then there was that scene he witnessed, the way the SS had treated the town’s Jewish schoolmaster and his mother – it appalled Otto. He has gradually begun to realize what the goals of the Nazis he is working for are, and he is increasingly troubled by them. The only person with whom he can share all this is his wife back in Germany, but he knows his letters to her are read by censors and so anything he writes could endanger them both.

Readers of the novel encounter others who are part of what is happening: Yankel’s worried parents Ephraim and Miryam with small Rosa; the battered schoolmaster and his bewildered elderly mother; rash Mykola and his unyielding parents; Otto’s calculating SS supervisor, Arnold; Yasia’s fearful cousin Osip, and his suspicious neighbours; her reticent uncle, and members of his community far out in the marshlands; the partisans who also roam there. Always at the centre of the story, though, are Yasia and the two brothers she has unwillingly become responsible for. As Yasia and Yankel work through their distrust of each other, dangerous incidents and horrific events occur, and they must depend on each other to survive. At one point, Otto comes across them and their lives are literally in his hands; the actions he takes then alter his life, as well as theirs.

Our Rozmova group had much to say about A Boy in Winter. Several members noted events and characters in the book that resembled wartime experiences they had heard about in their own families. The group was appreciative of the clear writing style, fluid yet precise narrative, and use of concise dialogue that characterize the book, agreeing that together they allowed readers to  “witness” characters, actions, and scenes vividly. One example was when restless Momik must be kept quiet in the barn loft lest a noise reveal their presence; Yankel acts by swiftly and silently fashioning animals from bits of straw and twigs for the little boy to play with, as Yasia, still apprehensive but now also appreciative of Yankel’s quick thinking and ingenuity, looks on. Another element focused on was that the main characters spoke three different languages, at times conveyed by italicized words in those languages, so communicating effectively with one another was a complexity evident from the start.

The author, Rachel Seiffert, is a prize-winning writer whose first book, The Dark Room, was short-listed for the Booker Prize. In interviews she has spoken about elements in her personal history – for instance, her German family background – that have affected her choice of topics and characters to portray. One theme strongly present in her work is how the individual acts within the context of history, that is, in critical historical events as they are happening around him or her. Rozmova members agreed that in dealing with her characters and their actions, Seiffert writes in a way that allows her readers to visualize them clearly and in depth. In sum, her skill as a writer allowed her readers to make their own judgments about these characters and actions, and that was something Rozmova readers valued highly in this book.