Author's website Alexander Korotko

Alexander Korotko’s narrative poem “STUS” continues its journey to an international audience — now in audio. The English-language audiobook is available on Storytel, the international Swedish platform for audiobooks and e-books.

The poem is dedicated to Vasyl Stus — a poet, dissident, and symbol of the indomitable Ukrainian spirit. Rather than presenting his biography as a sequence of events, Alexander Korotko turns to the inner world of a man who endured exhaustion, doubt, and the relentless pressure of the Soviet system, yet refused to renounce his dignity and freedom.

The poem was translated into English by Michael Pursglove, a British Slavist and translator of Ukrainian literature. He also narrates the audiobook available on Storytel. Through the voice of the translator, who developed a profound understanding of the poem, English-speaking listeners can discover not only the poetry of Alexander Korotko but also the figure of Vasyl Stus — one of the central voices of Ukrainian spiritual resistance.

The release of the audiobook continues the international publishing project initiated by Glagoslav Publications, the independent British-Dutch publishing house that introduced “STUS” to a global audience in a multilingual edition. The audio edition was published by GP Audiobooks.

The English-language audiobook was released on 3 August 2026 and has a running time of 28 minutes.

How to Listen to the Audiobook

Visit the “Stus: A Narrative Poem” page on Storytel, sign in to your account or create a new one, and choose an available subscription plan.

Then download the Storytel app to your smartphone or tablet, search for Stus: A Narrative Poem, and begin listening. The audiobook can also be downloaded in the app for offline listening.

“STUS”, narrated by Michael Pursglove, offers the international audience another opportunity to encounter a Ukrainian story told through the language of poetry.