Ukrainians who cherish culture: the collection Stories of Resilience published

The brochure includes stories of ten Ukrainians who keep resilient and preserve culture in wartime by the means of the word. It culminated in the joint project of English PEN and PEN Ukraine, Stories of Resilience, supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute. Ukrainian writer and journalist Anna Romandash became part of the writer’s research as the author.

For three months, by interviewing historians, poets, writers, cultural managers, and journalists, Romandash composed the patchwork of Ukrainian wartime culture. She consulted Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian's chief culture writer at this stage. In July 2024, Romandash resided in London to work on her brochure.

"The book includes stories of the people who chose Ukraine in a wide variety of manifestations and stand up for their choice in their art. They remain in Ukraine against all odds, and they develop Ukrainian culture, weeding out Russian simulacra and other Russia-imposed narratives," says Anna Romandash.

Anna Romandash is a prizewinning Ukrainian writer and journalist, and author of the book Women of Ukraine: Reportages from the War and Beyond (2023). She covers the issues of Ukraine and human rights for international media. For her human rights and media work, Romandash was titled Ambassador of Freedom of the Media in Ukraine.

"Stories of Resilience is a project of immense importance. It’s aimed at not only preserving the memory of Ukrainians’ invincibility but to providing a platform for dialogue between cultures and fostering deeper comprehension of our reality. By supporting this project, we have also helped Ukrainian authors and communities to share their experiences worldwide and given them room for interaction, reflection, and creative work. We believe that such initiatives are not only about documenting the past but also serve as inspiration for the future by strengthening cultural ties between Ukraine and the UK. We are proud about many years of our collaboration with PEN Ukraine and English PEN, and we’ve been particularly honored to facilitate their cooperation within the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture 2023," says Lusya Zorya, head of the British Council Arts Program.

The brochure Stories of Resilience will be distributed in both Ukraine and the UK. Its pdf copy is linked below. Copy editing: Mariya Tytarenko and Ivan Andrusiak. Design: Sofiia Afanasieva. Typesetting: Borys Weizman.

The Stories of Resilience project is organized by English PEN and PEN Ukraine with the financial support of the UK/UA Creative Partnerships program, designed by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute.

The brochure includes stories of ten Ukrainians who keep resilient and preserve culture in wartime by the means of word. It became the culmination of the joint project of English PEN and PEN Ukraine called Stories of Resilience, supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute. Ukrainian writer and journalist Anna Romandash became part of the writer’s research as the author.

For three months, by interviewing historians, poets, writers, cultural managers, and journalists, Romandash composed the patchwork of Ukrainian wartime culture. At this stage, she consulted Charlotte Higgins, the Guardian's chief culture writer. In July 2024, Romandash resided in London to work on her brochure.

"The book includes stories of the people who chose Ukraine in a wide variety of manifestations and stand up for their choice in their art. They remain in Ukraine against all odds, and they develop Ukrainian culture, weeding out Russian simulacra and other Russia-imposed narratives," says Anna Romandash.

Anna Romandash is a prizewinning Ukrainian writer and journalist, author of the book Women of Ukraine: Reportages from the War and Beyond (2023). She covers the issues of Ukraine and human rights for international media. For her human rights and media work, Romandash was titled Ambassador of Freedom of the Media in Ukraine.

"Stories of Resilience is a project of immense importance. It’s aimed to not only preserving the memory of Ukrainians’ invincibility, but to providing a platform for dialogue between cultures and fostering deeper comprehension of our reality. By supporting this project, we have also helped Ukrainian authors and communities to share their experience worldwide and given them room for interaction, reflection, and creative work. We believe that such initiatives are not only about documenting the past but also serve as inspiration for the future by strengthening cultural ties between Ukraine and the UK. We are proud about many years of our collaboration with PEN Ukraine and English PEN, and we’ve been particularly honored to facilitate their cooperation within the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture 2023," says Lusya Zorya, head of the British Council Arts Program.

The brochure Stories of Resilience will be distributed in both Ukraine and the UK. Its pdf copy is linked below. Copy editing: Mariya Tytarenko and Ivan Andrusiak. Design: Sofiia Afanasieva. Typesetting: Borys Weizman.

The Stories of Resilience project is organized by English PEN and PEN Ukraine with the financial support of the UK/UA Creative Partnerships program, designed by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute.