UKRAINE. BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST

The book "Ukraine. Breaking free from the past" is a fascinating journey through the history of Ukraine, seen from the perspective of the local history of Europe, relations with Poland, Belarus, and Russia, as well as in the context of global political and social processes. The author, Jarosław Hrycak, analyzes political, economic, social, and linguistic phenomena, creating a modern historical narrative.

• In-depth analysis of the history of Ukraine from the baptism of Kyiv Prince Volodymyr in 988 to the beginning of Russian aggression in 2022.
• Thematic essays focused on selected aspects of history: grain, songs, borderlands, violence, language.
• Modern approach combining known historical themes and currents.
• Dealing with the legacy of serfdom and searching for the roots of Ukrainian anti-Semitism.
• Analysis of shades of nationalism and separation of language, nation, and land.
• Confrontation with other researchers and theories, verified by the reality of war.
• Moral imperative to stand on the side of victims and heroes, against executioners.

Hrycak's book is not only a story of the past but also an attempt to understand contemporary Ukraine and its role in Europe and the world. The author draws on political and social processes in various parts of the world, from Argentina to China, to show how Ukraine fits into a broader global context. His analysis is extremely modern, combining known themes and currents, while also dealing with difficult topics such as the legacy of serfdom and the roots of Ukrainian anti-Semitism.

Hrycak confronts other researchers and theories, and their final verification is accompanied by the reality of war. Between the chapters telling the history of Ukraine, the author introduces shorter essays focused on selected topics that intersect with history: grain, songs, borderlands, violence, language. They intertwine into one colorful, dramatic, engaging story in which Hrycak always stands against the executioners and on the side of the victims and heroes.

The front lines intersect here extraordinarily often, terms lose their unambiguity, the spiral of violence spins like nowhere else in the world, Ukraine repeatedly becomes a testing ground for experiments - ethnic, political, economic, nuclear - this moral imperative derived from the words of the author of "The Fall" therefore determines the azimuth of the story. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Ukraine and its turbulent history.