PEN
America and the Tompkins Agency for Ukrainian Literature in translation have
published this book of short stories. The proceeds from the sale of the book are
donated to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Ukrainians are fighting for their
independence because they do not want to live under Vladimir Putin’s Orwellian
regime. I wrote about Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia when I wrote about Oleg Sentsov,
so you can check my post if you haven't done so. Ukraine was invaded by Russian forces on February 24,
2022, and since then Ukrainians have been fighting to protect their democracy
from the forces of Vladimir Putin.
Love in Defiance of Pain contains
eighteen short stories and an insightful introduction by Adam Higginbotham. His
words capture the spirit of resilience of the Ukrainian people and bring to
light some of the historical information that helps us to understand the
characters and plots.
Many of
the short stories transport us to Ukraine, revealing aspects of her history and
culture. However, not all of them take place in Ukraine. For example, “Frogs in
the Sea” by Tanja Maljartschuk unfolds in Austria, where an undocumented
Ukrainian man befriends a senior woman with dementia. The ending was shocking
because it reminded me of the ways meaningful acts of kindness are sometimes
treated with distrust and disrespect due to a combination of prejudices,
cruelty and ignorance.
Many
of the stories are realistic, but there are a few of them that contain elements
of fantasy or that are surreal. The anthology is like a box of artisan chocolates to
be enjoyed slowly. Some of the stories are nostalgic. Some are peculiar and engaging.
There are two or three stories that I found boring. I think there is something
for everybody here, because the stories are all different. Some of them have
shocking, unexpected endings. Others have an ending where you least expect it.
One of my favorite stories is by Natalka Sniadanko: “When to Start, What Not to Pay Attention to, or How to Fall in Love
with George Michael.” It is quirky and humorous. On the other hand, I did not
like the one by Vasyl Makhno, which takes place in New York. In this disturbing
story the men are portrayed as helpless victims and the women are the hopeless deceivers.
There is no love in defiance of pain here. It is the kind of story that traps
us into a groove of biases and social prejudices that will not allow us to
break glass ceilings. It perpetuates the rigid mindsets that will continue to
empower toxic bullies, but this is just my humble opinion on it. Read it
yourself and reach your own conclusions.
I
still have seven stories to read from a total of eighteen, and I don’t read
them in order. I will come back to write an addendum to the post later this
month if there is something else that needs to be shared.
Relevant
links:
https://www.tault.org/about-us
