Bücher von Olesya Khromeychuk

When Russia expanded its war against Ukraine in early 2022, many Western observers expected the country to surrender within moments. But Ukrainians are fighting resolutely for their freedom-once again. This text explores Ukrainian conceptions of freedom, starting with the Cossacks, but placing a clear emphasis on events since 1991. Writer and historian Olesya Khromeychuk argues that the roots of Ukrainians' contemporary resilience can be found in a long-standing rejection of imperialist oppression. She relates these concepts of Ukrainian freedom, mirrored in her own history, in a courageously personal manner. In this way, she renders accessible the history of a country about which there is too little knowledge in many parts of the West

WITH A FOREWORD BY PHILIPPE SANDS AND AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOV'If you read only one book about the war, this is the one to read.' -Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm'Unforgettable. An immediate history of a cruel war and a personal chronicle of unbearable loss' -Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The WorldKilled by shrapnel as he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Olesya Khromeychuk's brother Volodymyr died on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. As Khromeychuk tries to come to terms with losing her brother, she also tries to process the Russian invasion of Ukraine: as a historian of war, as a woman and as a sister.In a thoughtful blend of memoir and essay, Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother - and of Ukraine. Beautifully written and giving unique, poignant insight into the lives of those affected, it is an urgent act of resistance against the dehumanising cruelty of war.'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] tender and courageous book... Khromeychuk's clear-sighted prose expresses the pain that thousands, even millions, have felt in every conflict, past and present. -The Literary Review Magazine'A touching and brilliantly written account about grief, and also about strength. I read it in one night.' -Olia Hercules

When this book was written, it was the story of one death among many in the war in Eastern Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, it took on a new dimension - now it is not only a personal story, but the story of a country under severe attack. The premonitions about Putin's intentions that moved the author's brother to join the Ukrainian armed forces and defend his country have now come to pass in the most horrific way.Olesya Khromeychuk tells the story of her brother Volodymyr Pavliv, who was killed on the front line in 2017, taking the point of view of a civilian and a woman - perspectives that tend to be neglected in war accounts - and focusing on the stories that take place far away from the war zone. Through a combination of personal memoir and essay, Olesya Khromeychuk brings her readers closer to the events of this  brutal war in the heart of Europe and to the private experience of war itself. This book speaks to anyone struggling with grief and the shock of the sudden loss of a loved one.This new edition was updated after Russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by Monoray with new chapters and a new Foreword by Philippe Sands. Praise for the first edition:[A] moving and elegantly written account, A Loss, reflects on an older brother whom she got to know better after he died than before.Julian Evans, TLSIn A Loss, Khromeychuk shows that the experience of grief transcends individual circumstance and in fact, unites us. In doing so, she connects readers to the collective grief that most Ukrainians are unconsciously carrying. I hope that, when the book is published in Ukraine, it will help people there to work through the pain and trauma of the last seven years.Isobel Koshiw, Los Angeles Review of BooksGrappling. I admire a book that invites me to grapple with knotty questions. Olesya Khromeychuk has written such a book-beautifully. Feminism and drones. Funerals and theater. Shrapnel and combat boots-size 8. 'A Loss' explores the lures of militarism at a granular level.Professor Cynthia Enloe, author of Nimo's War, Emma's War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq WarMoving, intelligent, and brilliantly written, this is a sister's reckoning with a lost brother, an émigré's with the country of her childhood, and a scholar's with her own suddenly acutely personal subject matter. A wonderful combination of emotional and intellectual honesty; very sad and direct but also rigorous and nuanced. It even manages to be funny.Anna Reid, author of Borderland: A Journey Through the History of UkraineThere has always been too much silence around the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine-Europe's forgotten war. Olesya Khromeychuk refuses to bend to this silence. In vivid, intimate prose and with unflinching honesty, she introduces us to the brother she lost in the war and found in her grief. Poignant, wise, and unforgettable.Dr Rory Finnin, Associate Professor in Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge

Als dieses Buch geschrieben wurde, war es die Geschichte eines Todesfalls unter vielen im Krieg in der Ostukraine. Nach dem 24. Februar 2022 hat es eine neue Dimension erhalten ¿ jetzt ist es nicht mehr so sehr eine persönliche Geschichte, sondern die Geschichte eines Landes, das schwersten Angriffen ausgesetzt ist. Die Ahnungen über Putins Absichten, die den Bruder der Autorin bewegten, als Soldat der ukrainischen Streitkräfte im Donbas zu kämpfen und sein Land zu verteidigen, haben sich inzwischen aufs Schlimmste bewahrheitet. Olesya Khromeychuk erzählt die Geschichte ihres Bruders Wolodymyr Pawliw, der 2017 an der Frontlinie getötet wurde, und nimmt dabei den Blickwinkel eines Zivilisten und einer Frau ein ¿ Perspektiven, die in Kriegsberichten eher vernachlässigt werden ¿ und konzentriert sich auf die Geschichten, die sich weit weg vom Kriegsgebiet abspielen. Durch eine Kombination aus persönlichem Erinnerungsbericht und Essay bringt Olesya Khromeychuk ihren Lesern die Ereignisse dieses nun noch brutaler geführten Krieges im Herzen Europas und die private Erfahrung des Krieges an sich näher. Dieses Buch spricht jeden an, der mit Trauer und dem Schock über den plötzlichen Verlust eines geliebten Menschen zu kämpfen hat.

Memories of the Second World War play an important role in contemporary politics and society across Eastern Europe. One of the most controversial yet least studied pages of Ukraine's wartime history is that of the Waffen SS 'Galicia' Division, whose members are usually portrayed either as war criminals or as freedom fighters. The history of this unit is not limited to the Ukrainian context; it also has relevance throughout Eastern Europe, as well as in Britain, Canada and the USA. In the aftermath of the war, the 'Galicia' Division surrendered to British and American troops, but was not repatriated to the USSR, despite Soviet demands. Instead, its members were brought to the UK and eventually allowed to settle in the West, and this unexpected turn of events continues to cause much controversy. This book explores why over 8,000 members of the Waffen SS were allowed to move permanently to the West, by analysing the complex series of events and decisions that characterized the journey of the 'Galicians' from capitulation to acceptance into civilian life. Drawing on a rich range of different sources, the 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. In doing so, the book sheds light on the complex processes of memory politics.