Literary classics aren’t always created by the greying elder statesmen and women of the writing world. You know the ones. They’re all wise and wrinkly and impassive, and woe betide the scholar who dares mount an honest critique of their bodies of work.
You see, literary classics are also written by upstart youngsters. These youngsters are full of vitality and creativity. They live fully awake and fully aware during these very difficult times. Nothing escapes their notice and they’re unafraid to share what they really think. They walk among us right now, breathing, smiling and crying, loving and hating, experiencing the full range of their humanity without apology.
This series presents names that you won’t find in textbooks or on Wikipedia, but these are the very youngsters who are creating modern Ukrainian literature right now. Trust us, you will want to check them out because it’s only a matter of time before they become household names. When we go back to these writers in two hundred years, we have no doubt that they’ll be mentioned in the same breath as luminaries such as Taras Shevchenko and Lesya Ukrainka.
noon
sometimes i like finding myself in a room
with no clocks
observing how i’m growing human slowly
in an expanded space with no rhythm
feeling my hands immersed in their work
scenting my very presence
and my slender stance, like a dial’s needle
no one has seen that, but
when sunlight is pouring down my collar
i lay my shadow on the floor
and so align my next step
полудень
часом люблю опинитися в кімнаті
без годинників
і дивитися як я поволі олюднююся
в розширеному просторі без ритму
чуючи власні руки занурені в працю
відчуваючи запах своєї присутності
й тонкість постави як стрілку компаса
ніхто цього не побачить але
коли сонце ллється за комір
я вкладаю свою тінь на підлогу
і так визначаю наступний крок
Original poem by KATERYNA BALASHOVA
Translation by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2023
unbolt me 
So beautiful. Deep calling to deep.
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I agree with you, Deborah. It absolutely is!
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I love the treatment of time in this poem, how it’s tied to the person and to the body, not just something that exists outside of us until it doesn’t. Thank you for sharing the translation
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Thank you for reading it, Crispina! And I really like your take on this. It makes even more sense to me now that you put it like that!
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one of my biggest regrets is that I never learned to read Ukrainian..I speak a few words, I had grandparents that could have taught me….but, it’s such a phonetic language..
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Tati informs me that Ukrainian is one of the harder languages to learn. And, like you, I always wanted to read Ukrainian too, but I’ve always found the idea of learning the language quite intimidating if I’m honest!
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Beautiful poem. A calming quality to it.
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Yes, it has a certain peaceful flow to it, doesn’t it?
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Yes. 😊
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The youth are taking over and I love to be a part of it!!
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I hear you on that! 😀
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Impressive and telling of the current issues with the war.
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Thanks so much, Carrie. Tati will really appreciate that!
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This is really, really cool. Thank you for sharing, Tetiana!
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Thank you so much for reading, Heather! Tati really enjoys highlighting the work of Ukrainian writers. There will be more to come!
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What a marvellous poem – thank you for sharing this!
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Thank you for visiting with us! It was a privilege to highlight Kateryna’s work!
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❤️❤️❤️
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🙏💛💙
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