Radutsky: Oz and Appelfeld, two sons return to Ukraine

Aharon Appelfeld and Amos Oz are two Israeli literary giants who died in 2018, nearly a year apart. Although they were writers from Israel, how many people know both were deeply connected to lands that today are part of contemporary Ukraine and that these lands affected their literary works?

Appelfeld was born near Chernivtsi. While he is known as a writer who wrote about the Holocaust, many of his works are based on Bukovyna or have characters from there whose experience helped shape the experience of a new Israeli state. In his A Tale of Love and Darkness, Oz writes about Rivne, his mother’s birthplace, and how she influenced his life.  Victor Radutsky, a longtime translator of both writers, has a deep understanding of how Ukraine affected their works. Radutsky translated Appelfeld’s Kateryna into Ukrainian and is now working on Oz’s A Tale of Love and Darkness. Both books are printed by the Chernivtsi publishing house "Books – XXI.”

At the IX International Book Arsenal Festival, Radutsky spoke about his long friendship with both writers and how their Ukrainian roots affected their literary works.

Discussion "Amos Oz and Aharon Appelfeld: Two Sons Return to Ukraine”, IX International Book Arsenal Festival, Kyiv, 26 May 2019 (in Ukrainian).

00:00-00:45
Andriy Pavlyshyn, moderator

00:45-03:51
Natalia A. Feduschak, Director of Communications, Ukrainian Jewish Encounter

03:52-10:40
Andriy Pavlyshyn, moderator

10:41-31:33
Victor Radutsky, translator

31:32-32:20
Andriy Pavlyshyn, moderator

32:21-40:47
Victor Radutsky, translator

40:48-41:11
Andriy Pavlyshyn, moderator

41:12-42:04
Natalia A. Feduschak, Director of Communications, Ukrainian Jewish Encounter

42:05-42:51
Victor Radutsky, translator

Text: Natalia A. Feduschak
Photos and video: Ukrainian Jewish Encounter