Students of Ukrainian Catholic University together with students of the University of Notre Dame created the project “Writing the War in Ukraine.” It is dedicated to researching modern Ukrainian poetry in the context of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

The painting “Words” by Kateryna Kosyanenko

The project “Writing the War in Ukraine” is a continuation of the exhibit “Ukrainian Art as Protest and Resilience” presented at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies of the University of Notre Dame in February 2023, dedicated to the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Four students of UCU and Notre Dame joined to research the significance of poetry and prose in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The curator of the project was a graduate of the Philology Program of UCU’s Humanities Department, Sofiia Dobko.

“The joint work in pairs between students of the University of Notre Dame and the Ukrainian Catholic University built a bridge above the chasm of the lived experience of war and the faraway observation,” said Sofiia Dobko. “Through prolonged and close communication between the authors and readers, between the student researchers and coordinators of the project, “Writing the War in Ukraine” enabled the references of the war reality to become intelligible to everyone, regardless of one’s native language, ethnicity, cultural background, or place of residence.”

As part of the project, students researched and translated the poetry of Serhiy Zhadan, Pavlo Vyshybaba, Halyna Kruk, Anna-Mariya Osadchuk, Artur Dron, and the circles of Miya Ramari and Tember Blanche. You can become acquainted with the works on the site of the project here.

“The participants of the current project have just begun to uncover the rich and deep reality of how the war in Ukraine has manifested through the writings of Ukrainian authors. I hope that through this project they have succeeded in their attempt to understand the lived experience of the war, paving the way for others across a bridge of empathy. This project serves as a reminder that the war in Ukraine is far from a tragic memory; it continues to be someone’s every day and immediate reality.” So Sofiia Dobko writes in her summary of the project.

We note that the Nanovic Institute for European Studies and UCU have worked together for 12 years on programs and projects as part of the Catholic Universities Partnership. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. the Nanovic Institute and the University of Notre Dame have expressed solidarity with Ukraine and UCU.

In May 2022, the University of Notre Dame and Ukrainian Catholic University signed an agreement to significantly increase academic, spiritual, and cultural cooperation between the universities. Since then, students of UCU bachelor’s and master’s programs have had the opportunity each semester to study at Notre Dame, and UCU doctoral students can apply to study at one of Notre Dame’s five global branches: in Beijing, Dublin, Jerusalem, London, and Rome.

Source: Nanovic Institute