Ukrainian writer Vasyl Makhno discusses his novels, poetry, and S.Y. Agnon in Jerusalem

Ukrainian writer Vasyl Makhno traveled to Israel between 23 June and 2 July 2023 to discuss the intersection of Ukrainian and Jewish literature and culture in Ukraine and abroad. His presentations before Ukrainian-, English- and Hebrew-language audiences were met with widespread enthusiasm and praise. We continue to post videos of Makhno's presentations and discussions from his trip. Makhno presented for the first time in Israel a selection of his Ukrainian-language poetry translated into Hebrew in a volume titled Parshanut Pratit Lahistoria (Personal Interpretation of History). The book's publication was supported by the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter.

The first video is from an event held in cooperation with our good friends at Jerusalem's Agnon House (Beit Agnon) on 28 June 2023. Together with Jeffrey Saks, Director of Research at Agnon House, Makhno discussed his writing, the Jewish elements in his contemporary fiction, and the state of contemporary writing and culture at this fraught time in Ukraine — on the ground and in the Ukrainian diaspora. The talk took place in English.

Contemporary Ukrainian Literature and Agnonian Echoes: A Meeting with Author Vasyl Makhno, Jerusalem, 28 June 2023

Audio of the discussion in English is available at https://youtu.be/ksIV3AJGAC0

The second video is of an evening with Vasyl Makhno at Jerusalem's famed Poetry place on 2 July 2023. Hosted by Israeli poet Dorit Wiseman, Makhno's poetry was read and discussed with the participation of poet and translator Gili Haimovich, and poet and artist Nadia Adina Rose. Importantly, for the first time, Hebrew-language excerpts from Makhno's book The Eternal Calendar, which won the inaugural "Encounter: The Ukrainian-Jewish Literary Prize" were read by translator Miriam-Feyga Bunimovich and editor Luba Klokin.

Vasyl Makhno at the Poetry Place: A Private Interpretation of History, Jerusalem, 2 July 2023 (In English and Hebrew)

Vasyl Makhno is a Ukrainian poet, prose writer, and essayist who has been living in New York since 2000. He is the author of fourteen collections of poetry and, most recently, the book of selected poems, One Sail House (2021). He has also published a book of short stories, The House in Baiting Hollow (2015), a novel, The Eternal Calendar (2019), and five books of essays. Makhno's works have been widely translated and published in Israel, the United States, and throughout Europe. He is the recipient of many prizes, including "Encounter: The Ukrainian-Jewish Literary Prize "(2020) for his Ukrainian-language book The Eternal Calendar.