Dr Olga Khomenko publishes "The Faraway Sky of Kyiv. Ukrainians in the War"

On July 25, 2023 my new book of essays in Japanese on the war in Ukraine, "The Faraway Sky of Kyiv. Ukrainians in the War" was published by Chuo Koron Shinsha, one of the oldest Japanese publishing houses established in 1886. 

This book originated from my own experience of the war in Ukraine and stories from family members, friends, and former students. My motivation to write this book came from an experience of being interviewed by Japanese media in early 2022, and the questions I was asked lacking general knowledge of Ukrainian history and culture. I decided not to give any further interviews and to focus on writing in Japanese to provide a voice for Ukrainians instead.  

The book starts with the epigraph "Being Alive" from a well-known Japanese poem by Tanikawa Shuntaro, written in 1971:

"Being alive means being able to cry, laugh, be angry, and be free."

This poem describes important feelings Ukrainians have towards freedom. 

The book has four parts. The first part concerns the day of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, and discusses topics including the “meaning of home” and "Conversation with God", the latter exploring Ukrainian perceptions of religion and spirituality after 70 years of suppression during the Soviet Union. It explores how men, women and children each cope with the war, sudden separation, and forced migration. It explores the unique role played by technology, connecting Ukrainians separated by the conflict but also presenting a potential danger if a phone contains material that could be used by invading forces to hunt and down and persecute Ukrainians in occupied territories. 

The second part of the book is about Ukraine: its history, culture, and neighbors. It explores the occasionally uneasy relations between Poland and Ukraine since the time of the Cossacks but also the role Poland has played since the start of the war, accepting large numbers of refugees and providing a home from home for many Ukrainian companies and NGOs. There is a section on geopolitics and trade and the cultural history of two Ukrainian seas – Black and Azov. Another part explores the history of the Ukrainian flag and another focuses on historical traumas Ukrainians carry on their shoulders through generations: the experience of losing their short-lived independence in 1918, the fear of being repressed, the fear of speaking their own language, the fear of hunger and the trauma of World War Two. This trauma has translated into relying on family members only and a severe distrust of "others" outside this circle, with official authorities being seen as an oppressive power. 

The third part of the book looks at how daily life drastically changed during the war. This part spans topics from the outpouring of art and poetry after the invasion to the role of Ukrainian humour and the growing number of women comedians. It touches on daily routines, how Ukrainians have adjusted to new realities while retaining old habits and customs. It also discusses Ukraine-Japan relations since independence. 

The fourth part of this book is about things gained and lost since the war started. It explains the Japanese reaction to the war, pointing out that despite significant support, some Japanese people either took Russia’s side or attempted to monetize attention to the war through social media and TV appearances.  It discusses how the Ukrainian public gained new heroes, and focuses on the drastic change in perception in particular of President Volodymyr Zelensky by the Ukrainian intelligentsia. It touches on changes in consumption habits, a strong will to live every moment despite the reality of war, to celebrate children's birthdays, and to have short holidays while living through air raids. It also discusses the reaction of Russian friends and colleagues to the war in a broader context of the long history of Russian perceptions of Ukraine and attitudes towards the Ukrainian language. 

The final chapter of this book analyses the Ukrainian historical perception of its borders and homeland. Since last year Ukraine’s eastern borders, which from the time of the Cossacks were flexible, turned into "a place of encounters with others" and suddenly became a space projecting danger and fear. On the other hand, the western borders, which historically were strictly demarcated, suddenly opened up to refugees fleeing into neighboring European Union countries. Despite three decades of independence, Ukraine again experiences the process of the redrawing of its borders by others. 

For Ukrainians this war is not only about the current moment that started on February 24 but a point of no return in terms of its shared history with its neighbors. It is a matter of mental separation and reconsidering the 350 years of history since Ukraine's agreements with Russia in 1654 to become part of the Russian Empire. For the first time, Ukrainians became narrators of their own story and history. The final chapter of this book discusses ideas concerning "peace" and "war" in modern Japan shaped by the Japanese involvement in World War Two and how this historical education has affected the reception of the war in Ukraine in Japan.

Dr Olga Khomenko

Media coverage

The book was published on 25 July 2023, and within less than two months, it has coverage from all major Japanese media. The biggest newspaper, Yomiuri, did a piece about this launch on 25 July, quoting a part of an essay about President Zelenskiy. 

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/20230720-OYT8T50080/

JB press quoted a part about business in Ukraine during the war, saying that even during the war, some companies are growing. 

https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/76280

Mainichi newspaper wrote about the book on 2 September, emphasizing that this essay, written nicely in Japanese by a Ukrainian educated in Japan, is about connection to other people through words.  

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20230902/ddm/015/070/019000c

A review from 9 September by the most significant economic paper, Nikkei, emphasizes that the book covers the multi-dimensionally life and feelings of Ukrainians during the war: "Usually we think that the power of pen and the written word is small, but it is not the case for this book." 

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUD059EC0V00C23A9000000/

The review in News Agency Kyodo Tsushin recommended reading "Ukrainians Who Crossed the Borders" (2022) and "The faraway sky of Kyiv. Ukrainians in the War" (2023) together. The agency pointed out that "the book from early 2022 somehow sensed that the history of forced migration will repeat. Even if it sounds scary, it's better to read both these books at once to see the current story from a historical perspective and how ordinary Ukrainians are now trying to convert their traumatic war experience into a growing one". 

https://www.kyodo.co.jp/national-culture/2023-09-09_3799355/

The reviews on Amazon Japan are also very positive, saying that this is "a must-read book to learn about Ukraine" because it "Explains the situation from a historical point of view" and "a good book to understand the Ukrainian point of view." 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/キーウの遠い空-戦争の中のウクライナ人-単行本-オリガ・ホメンコ/dp/4120056759