Letters of the Alphabet Go To War

 

Letters of the Alphabet Go to War / Lesyk Panasiuk
trans. from the Ukrainian by Katie Farris & Ilya Kaminsky
Louisville, KY: Sarabande, c2026.
32 p.

I can't say too much about this forthcoming poetry collection here, as I have already reviewed it at Library Journal. But I wanted to share it so that others can hear about it, as it was a top read for me. 

It was haunting and powerful. It's a small book, almost a chapbook, published by Sarabande, but I was pleased to find something by a Ukrainian author who I didn't know yet. The poems are so personal and investigate language, poetry, literature, culture, all in the face of a violent war. 

I really loved it. I thought the approach was unique, and the poems themselves are accessible to a Western audience. Intelligent, emotional, and beautifully done. The translation is much appreciated as well. Search it out once it's published, you will be richly rewarded.