‘A Ukrainian Dictionary of War’ Readings Observe Anniversary of Russian Invasion

About the event

WSU Libraries are sponsoring readings from a new book to commemorate the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Titled “Language of Testimony: Readings from A Ukrainian Dictionary of War,” the event takes place from noon-1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at the Terrell Library atrium.

Compiled by poet Ostap Slyvynsky, A Ukrainian Dictionary of War gathers the reflections of average Ukrainian citizens as they witness and react to the horrors of the war against their sovereign territory. The author recorded peoples’ insights as they were sheltering in the subway, or from those met along the road. Copies of the book, published by Lost Horse Press and distributed by WSU Press, will be available for sale at the event.

Organized by the 33 letters of the Ukrainian alphabet, the dictionary attempts to capture words whose meanings have been transformed by the war itself, according to Gabriella Reznowski, WSU business and economics librarian and event co-organizer. Words that once carried tender connotations are now laden with the experiences of Ukrainians facing continued Russian aggression.

“The effect of reading the individual entries places the reader in the shoes of the witnesses, and even after one puts the book down, the intimate insights they provide continue to echo and resonate, like dozens of simultaneous whispers,” Reznowski said.