The Work of Witnessing: On New Ukrainian Lit by Artur Dron, Andriy Lyubka

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, Ukrainian literature has seen a shift toward nonfiction and autofiction, alongside poetry. This change is driven by two main factors. First, autobiographical writing emphasizes immediacy and authenticity, avoiding the delays of fictionalization which requires deeper research. Second, it allows authors to document events quickly, as writing becomes a way to witness and record life during war. The three authors discussed—Artur Dron, Andriy Lyubka, and Lena Lyagushonkova—each adopt unique styles to portray different aspects of life shaped by Russia’s long-term aggression and colonial ambitions. Their works reflect personal experiences while addressing broader political and social contexts.

The three authors position themselves as witnesses to the war, using autobiographically informed perspectives. Artur Dron, a young poet in his early twenties, joined the Armed Forces voluntarily and writes about life as a soldier, including his own injuries and the loss of friends. Andriy Lyubka, who later also enlisted, focuses on his role as a volunteer, detailing his team’s efforts to fundraise, purchase, and transport over four hundred vehicles to the frontlines for Ukrainian soldiers. Lena Lyagushonkova’s work is closest to fiction and explores personal history in the industrial east of Ukraine, particularly Luhansk, addressing themes like Russification, Soviet corruption, and gender inequality. Each author’s perspective highlights a distinct segment of Ukrainian society during the war.

Artur Dron’s book Hemingway Knows Nothing is a collection of essays and personal accounts from his time as a soldier. The title references Ernest Hemingway, whose war writings are often seen as a benchmark for veteran literature. Dron challenges this comparison, arguing that Hemingway’s and Erich Maria Remarque’s experiences of war differ fundamentally from Ukraine’s current conflict. For Hemingway, war was an adventure, while for Remarque, it was a forced experience imposed by corrupt politicians. In contrast, Dron emphasizes that Ukrainian soldiers are defending their land, lives, and political autonomy by choice. His book won the Yury Shevelyov Prize for nonfiction from PEN Ukraine in 2025 and combines philosophical reflection with personal stories of camaraderie, faith, loss, and hope.

Andriy Lyubka’s book War From the Rear: A Ukrainian Aid Volunteer’s Story documents his experiences as a volunteer since the invasion began. Alongside his team, Lyubka has helped procure and transport over four hundred vehicles to the frontlines. The book blends road stories, short essays, and lyrical, sometimes humorous observations about life in wartime Ukraine. Lyubka describes both small, human moments—like the smell of good coffee at a gas station—and deeper themes such as hope, heartbreak, regret, and the challenges of time management. His work offers an honest portrayal of the war from the perspective of those supporting soldiers from the rear, including families of defenders.

Lena Lyagushonkova’s novel A Cat Peed on My Flag (Мій прапор запісяв котик, 2025) explores growing up in Luhansk during the 1990s and early 2000s. The novel uses a unique linguistic style that mixes literary Ukrainian, Russian, surzhyk (a Ukrainian-Russian sociolect), miners’ slang, and obscenities to recreate the atmosphere of the industrial east. Luhansk, described in carnivalesque yet absurd and cruel terms, contrasts with Donetsk, which was dominated by oligarchs and wealth. Lyagushonkova’s work highlights the region’s poverty, Soviet-era policies, and gender inequality, offering a feminist and postcolonial critique. The novel won the BBC Ukraine Book of the Year Award in fiction for 2025.