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SERHIY ZHADAN’S INSPIRING STORY
Ukraine’s Heroism Through The Eyes Of Its Most Popular Poet
An activist writer tells why he began taking bulletproof vests to the front in his new book, ‘Sky Above Kharkiv’
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Serhiy Zhadan heard a heartbreaking request from a boy taking cover from the bombings in a Kharkiv subway station.
Zhadan was checking on families sheltering underground when the 9-year-old asked for rugs, so babies wouldn’t have to keep crawling on cold floors as Russians shelled the city.
It was one of many poignant stories he’s heard in the three years since the assault began.
Zhadan is Ukraine’s best-known poet and has won worldwide honors for his work, including a nomination for the Nobel Prize for literature. He’s also an activist and novelist and the frontman for the ska band, Zhadan and the Dogs.
But when war came to Ukraine, Zhadan neither fled nor went into hiding to protect his career. He did what millions of his compatriots did: He put helping his country first.
