The Guardian view on literature in wartime: words do not stop when the bombing begins | Editorial
Writers do not only document the horror of conflict; they speak to a future that must exist beyond it Last week, thousands of readers gathered
Writers do not only document the horror of conflict; they speak to a future that must exist beyond it Last week, thousands of readers gathered for a literary festival in Kyiv, risking air raids to hear from writers.
Four brutal years of war have not destroyed the appetite for writing, but fuelled it. Russia’s extensive and systematic attempts to destroy Ukrainian culture, and therefore identity, have rightly received widespread attention. Over 700 libraries were damaged or destroyed outright within the first three years of the full-scale invasion.
But that campaign has also spurred efforts to move away from Russian literature and the Russian-language titles that previously dominated the market. Ukrainian literature and publishing has flourished far beyond the powerful documentary accounts of war often awarded attention outside the country, with growing room for experimentation.
Newer writing also attempts to bridge the gap between those on the frontline and those more safely at home. Continue reading...
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