This week, Andriy Lyubka and Yulia Paievska (Taira) are heading on a tour across cities in the Netherlands .
During a series of public events, they will speak about the war against Ukraine, the work of writers during wartime, and the experience that transforms not only a person but also a nation and its future.
Yulia Paievska (Taira) — servicewoman, paramedic, civic activist, volunteer, officer of the NGU „Khartia“ unit. She took part in the Revolution of Dignity and the war in Eastern Ukraine. In 2022, during the defense of Mariupol, she was captured by Russian forces and spent three months in captivity.
In the Netherlands, the author will present her debut poetry collection “Live”. It is about war, captivity, torture, a hospital in flames and the blood of Mariupol. The living and the dead. These are texts written between evacuating the wounded, love and torture chambers, and flights between continents. Poetry that does not ask for pity. It embodies the spirit of an era.
Andriy Lyubka — poet, prose writer, and translator. Author of more than a dozen books. Laureate of the Yurii Shevelov and Joseph Conrad-Korzeniowski Prizes. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, he has been an active volunteer: over 30 trips to the East, delivering more than 360 vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Decorated with medals by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
At the events, the author will present his latest book “The War from the Rear” — about the war seen from the rear; about trips to the front, volunteering, and the everyday challenges of civilian life. Rich in detail, stories, and real adventures, this book creates a panoramic picture of life in Ukraine during wartime. A nonfiction narrative of a writer who unexpectedly becomes a volunteer and delivers jeeps to the Ukrainian army.
Event schedule in five Dutch cities:
06.07.2025 | 16:00 | Groningen | Cafe Ballerz vergaderzaal, Blauwborgje 16, 9747 AC Groningen
07.07.2025 | 18:30 | Zwolle | Stationsplein 3, 8011 CW Zwolle
09.07.2025 | 18:30 | Amsterdam | Goethe-Institut Amsterdam, Herengracht 470, 1017 CA Amsterdam
10.07.2025 | 19:00 | Rotterdam | Centrale Bibliotheek, Hoogstraat 110, 3011 MA Rotterdam
11.07.2025 | 18:00 | The Hague | Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, Zeestraat 78, 2518 AD Den Haag
Events are moderated by Ukrainian cultural manager, translator, promoter of Ukrainian literature in Europe, and CEO of Meridian Czernowitz — Evgenia Lopata.
️ Languages: Ukrainian & English.
Authors will read their works in the original Ukrainian; Dutch translations will be available for the audience.
✅ Admission is free.
➡️ Registration: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSc7tEI1Fo…/viewform…
The project “Strengthening Ukrainian Voices in the Netherlands” is implemented in cooperation between the International Literary Corporation Meridian Czernowitz and the Ukrainian Institute in the Netherlands.
The project is supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programm.
