The American magazine The New Yorker included the novel Grey Bees by the Ukrainian writer Andrii Kurkov in the list of the best books of 2022.
This book tells the story of Sergiyich, a pensioner who lives in the “gray” zone in eastern Ukraine with his bees. Subsequently, Sergiyich goes on a journey through Ukraine and eventually ends up in Crimea.
“Although Gray Bees is deeply grounded in the disturbing reality of war, the novel sometimes feels like a fairy tale,” notes The New Yorkerʼs description.
- Since 2018, Andriy Kurkov has been the president of the Ukrainian branch of the International PEN Club. In November 2022, Ukrainian philosopher, writer and journalist Volodymyr Yermolenko was elected to this position.