Author's website Alexander Korotko

A bilingual poetry collection titled “Notatki z czasu wojny / Notes from Wartime”, co-authored by Ukrainian poet Oleksandr Korotko and Polish poet Jarosław Mikołajewski, has been published in Poland.

This book delves into the realities of war and the power of language to articulate the inexpressible. It reflects on silence that resonates louder than explosions and explores how individuals learn to live despite fear.

The publication is part of the “Mosty” (“Bridges”) series—a cultural initiative aimed at uniting languages, readers, and narratives. The series has already released over a dozen books in both Polish and Ukrainian, each serving as a metaphorical bridge across linguistic and historical divides.

The project is supported by the Fundacja Powszechnego Czytania im. Katarzyny Konopki, an organization dedicated to ensuring access to books even during the darkest times. Maria Deskur, the foundation’s president, played a significant role in realizing this series, known for her active stance on the role of literature during crises.

“Notes from Wartime” has been distributed to over 1,000 libraries across Poland, contributing to the ongoing dialogue about war, memory, and empathy.

Contributors to the publication include:

• Dmytro Drozdovskyi, editor-in-chief of the “Vsesvit” magazine, who curated the Ukrainian segment of the project;

• Translators Anna Bednarczyk and Ostap Nożak, who provided sensitive and precise translations;

• The editorial team, curators, and designers who transformed the manuscript into a collaborative artifact.

The foreword was penned by Marek Radziwon, president of the Polish PEN Club, a literary scholar and publicist well-known in the Ukrainian intellectual community.

“Notes from Wartime” transcends poetry; it is a space of compassion where words serve as bridges between languages, cultures, and shared experiences.