Annuncio del r/Ukraine Book Club: The Orphanage – un romanzo riconosciuto a livello internazionale di Serhii Zhadan, un celebre scrittore e poeta ucraino che ora presta servizio nella Guardia nazionale ucraina

The novel is set over three winter days in January 2015, in a war‑torn region of eastern Ukraine. 

The protagonist is Pasha, a 35‑year-old Ukrainian language teacher.  He lives in a small town near the front line but tries to remain detached: he doesn’t follow politics, avoids news…but he is forced to take a dangerous journey into an embattled city to rescue his 13-year-old nephew, Sasha, who lives in a boarding school for orphans (“internat”).

Along the way, he witnesses the devastating realities of war. And on his return journey with Sasha, he leads a group of vulnerable people through dangerous terrain, facing gunfire, tanks, stray dogs, and the foggy, chaotic landscape of a collapsing civilian world. 

Pasha’s arc is captivating to follow – from someone who believes he’s “just a teacher,” not politically involved, but is forced to become involved to save his nephew and other kids. 

While many of us, even if we do not live in Ukraine, can relate to Pasha’s transformation as he is mourning, of reckoning with past traumas and the disintegration of a familiar world.[ ](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/slavic-review/article/synchronous-war-novel-ordeal-of-the-unarmed-person-in-serhiy-zhadans-internat/9F00C86270A94AF4C8DA9779001BAA05?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

*The Orphanage* (English version) won the **EBRD Literature Prize (2022)**. 

**About the author: Serhii Zhadan**

Serhiy Zhadan (born August 23, 1974, in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine) is a leading contemporary Ukrainian poet, novelist, essayist, translator, and musician. Zhadan’s work often explores life in eastern Ukraine, the post-Soviet experience, and the impact of war on ordinary people. 

Beyond writing, he’s socially and politically active: since the 2014 conflict in eastern Ukraine, he has organized humanitarian aid, held concerts for soldiers, and remained in Kharkiv despite the dangers. In 2024, he joined the Ukrainian National Guard’s 13th “Khartia” Brigade. 

Audiobook: Black Friday sale

[https://www.downpour.com/products/book-g463?variant=49291150033200&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=chatgpt.com](https://www.downpour.com/products/book-g463?variant=49291150033200&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=chatgpt.com) 

Paper book, ebook, audio book 

[https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-orphanage-serhiy-zhadan/1137452876?ean=9780300243017](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-orphanage-serhiy-zhadan/1137452876?ean=9780300243017) 

Ebay:

[https://www.ebay.com/itm/405372330275](https://www.ebay.com/itm/405372330275) 

To sign-up to our book club please go here: [https://uabook.club/](https://uabook.club/) 

The date will be announced soon.