Among the most interesting book releases of February are a new novel by the author of the cult “The Handmaid” Frida McFadden, a book by Booker Prize winner Georgy Gospodinov, as well as a nonfiction book that will shed light on the fate of Viktor Petrov (Domontovich).
“The Gardener and Death”, Georgi Gospodinov
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Georgi Gospodinov is the most famous author of modern Bulgaria, a finalist for several prestigious European and American awards, including the PEN American Translation Prize and the Booker Prize. He made his debut in 1999 with the publication “Natural Novel”, which was published in more than 20 languages and was highly praised by critics in The New Yorker and The Times. His new novel “The Gardener and Death”, dedicated to the writer's father, has been published in Ukrainian – a story about the painful departure of the closest person, but also about resurrection and immortality. Georgi Gospodinov is loved for the sophistication of language, lyricism and subtle work with complex themes, in particular the theme of memory, and “The Gardener and Death” has everything to admire this amazing writer.
Publishing house “Black Sheep Adult”
“Until I Find You,” John Irving
The famous novel “Until I Find You” by John Irving, winner of the Oscar for the screenplay for the film “The Rules of the Winemakers” and one of the main prose writers of our time, who is called a key follower of the tradition of the great novel by Charles Dickens in the 20th century, is being published in Ukrainian.
The hero of the novel, Hollywood actor Jack Burns, grew up not knowing his biological father. His mother surrounded his image with silence and mystifications. The search for his father, with which this epic begins and ends, defines Jack's entire life. Handsome, beloved by women, a gifted artist – he plays all his roles for one and only one viewer…
“Plot”
“Ms. Tan's Women's Circle,” Lisa Si
A large, polyphonic novel inspired by the true story of Tan Yunxian, a 16th-century Chinese aristocrat who managed to break stereotypes and become a doctor, as well as the author of a book on medicine. This is a novel about women and their difficult fate: in China there were many traditions and rules that they had to follow. Ms. Tan tells how she lived in her parents' house, how she prepared to become a good wife, and does not hide the details of bandaging her legs and the illnesses associated with it. Later, medicine and a desire to help women appear in her life. The author of the novel, Lisa Hsi, is a famous American writer of Chinese origin, author of The New York Times bestseller “Girls from Shanghai.”
Vivat
“The Tempest”, Frieda McFadden
A new book by Frieda McFadden, a neuropathologist and author of cult psychological bestsellers, the writer who gave the world “The Handmaid”, the film adaptation of which starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried can be seen in Ukrainian cinemas right now.
“The Storm” is an action-packed novel centered on young Tegan Werner, who is raped and becomes pregnant. Eight months pregnant, during a blizzard, she goes by car to visit her brother, but gets into an accident. In the middle of an unfamiliar area, confused and scared, Tegan meets a married couple – Hank and Polly, who rescue her and invite her to their house to wait out the storm. The couple settles Tegan in a basement, in a makeshift hospital room, and later the woman realizes that they do not plan to call the doctors or let her go…
Vivat
Gimme Shelter, Olga Sidorina-Wilkins
HR expert Olga Sidorina-Wilkins has written an urban novel about a woman's coming of age against the backdrop of the country's formation. The events unfold in Kyiv in the 2010s and tell about the life of a young woman, and readers “expect love, sex, the search for moral guidelines, and the difficult choices of a Ukrainian woman in a post-colonial society.” The publishing house “Who is this” notes that the book touches on the themes of domestic violence, bodily freedom, and psychological survival. Director Anna Buryachkova, known for the film “Forever, Forever,” which premiered in 2024 at the Venice Film Festival, has already begun work on the film adaptation of the novel.
Publishing House “Who is this”
“Stories with a Good (and Not-So-Good) Ending: A Collection of Stories and Essays”, edited by Irena Karpa
For several years now, writer Irena Karpa has been running a course on literary skills for women who want to learn to write. The strongest authors of the course have the opportunity to be published – for example, in February, the Knygolav publishing house will publish the second collection of course participants, edited by Irena Karpa. The publishing house says that these are “stories that are sometimes funny and light, sometimes piercing and painful, but always sincere and candid, written by women and about women in whom each of us recognizes herself.” Among the topics that the authors touch upon are love and betrayal, pain and healing, the past, and, of course, the experience of war.
“Bookworm”
“Agent with a teddy bear”, Eduard Andryuschenko
Historian Edard Andryushchenko, a researcher of the archives of the Soviet secret services and the author of the book “The KGB Archives. Unfictional Stories”, has written a work that helps to understand who Viktor Petrov (Domontovich) was – the author of the intellectual novels “Doctor Seraphicus” and “The Girl with the Bear” and at the same time an agent of the Soviet secret services. Based on declassified archival files of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Foreign Intelligence Service, the author traces how Domontovich's cooperation with the authorities was built, what his activities were during the Great Terror and World War II, in post-war emigration and after returning to the USSR. Andryushchenko tells not only about Viktor Petrov's double game, but also about the fates of his contemporaries – Rylsky, Bahryany, Shevelyov, Krymsky and others.
Vivat