2023-10-23 06:00:07
YANN LEGENDRE
Sofia Andrukhovych, a 40-year-old Ukrainian author and translator, publishes Everything that is human (Bayard, 176 pages, 16 euros), his logbook from the first year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
You write that, since the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, “the words have changed in nature” and that it is difficult to describe this “experience of relentless death” that Ukrainians are facing. How to tell this war?
It’s a constant search. I haven’t found the answer yet. I hate talking about the war, but at the moment there is no topic that is not related to it, and since the Russian invasion I feel an immense responsibility: it is necessary to write about this so that foreign countries can understand, because everything that is happening is the continuation of Soviet policy and the Russian dictatorship. In this book, I tried to tell what escapes the eye. I wanted to tell this conflict differently: I don’t address politics but the emotions that go through people, what makes them nervous or angry, for example. Ukrainians recognize themselves in my book. Above all, listening to these feelings allows foreign readers to open a window on this experience, to arouse their empathy.
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How are the Ukrainians holding up, a year and a half after the start of the large-scale offensive?
The more time passes, the more people become accustomed to this abnormal situation. It’s horrible to say, but human nature allows us to adapt. Today, we are no longer afraid when the air raid sirens sound, or when bombs fall on the country. At first, I was unable to read or listen to music. Then reading saved me. I read a lot of Annie Ernaux, among others. She has a delicate and powerful way of describing what women feel. This resonates deeply with me.
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In this diary, you describe how the war insinuated itself into everyone’s lives. What story particularly struck you?
The one that shocked me the most was this woman who calls on the bus and from whom we understand that she lost two of her children in the war. This is such an unimaginable tragedy! The way she says it, though, is very calm. As if it were commonplace. She also says she adopted an orphan after his loss. This scene, which I witnessed, tells of how the daily life of Ukrainians was shattered.
You also mention the fear that some Ukrainians feel. Do they talk about it openly?
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