To keep it from Russian forces, a writer hid his last manuscript under a cherry tree. Its rediscovery became part of a flowering of interest in Ukrainian literature.
Tag: Books and Literature
The Poet Who Commands a Rebel Army
“Revolution is the job of poets and artists,” says Ko Maung Saungkha, leader of a rebel militia fighting the Myanmar dictatorship. He is not the only poet commander in a country with a strong tradition of political verse.
From Exile in London, a Crime Novelist Works to Transform Russia
Boris Akunin, the creator of a hugely popular detective series, hopes that fomenting a vibrant Russian culture abroad might undermine President Vladimir V. Putin’s government at home.
Mythical Sword’s Disappearance Brings Mystery to French Village
Legend says the Durandal sword had been stuck in a French hillside for nearly 1,300 years. When it went missing in June, an investigation to find France’s Excalibur began.
Ismail Kadare Dies at 88; Novels Brought Albania’s Plight to the World
Often compared to Orwell and Kafka, he walked a political tightrope with works that offered veiled criticism of his totalitarian state.
What I’m Reading: Tunneling to the Past
Looking for answers, or an escape, in a fraught world.
Shahjahan Bhuiya, Executioner Turned TikTok Star, Dies in Bangladesh
He hanged high-profile inmates in exchange for a reduction in his own robbery and murder sentences, and became a social media sensation after his release.
Your Summer Reading Guide
If you fantasize about reading your way from now until Labor Day but need help corralling your curiosity, we can help.
Wreckage of Shackleton’s Last Ship Is Found Off Coast of Canada
Ernest Shackleton was sailing for Antarctica on the ship, called the Quest, when he died in 1922. Researchers exulted over the discovery of its wreckage, 62 years after it sank in the Labrador Sea.
Ukrainian Activist Traces Roots of War in ‘Centuries of Russian Colonization’
One Ukrainian researcher and podcaster is a leading voice in efforts to rethink Ukrainian-Russian relations through the prism of colonialism.