The Language of War

When everyday life becomes a state of emergency, how can yesterday’s words suffice?

‘We were so happy and didn’t know it…’

A thirty-three-year-old writer lives in a quiet European suburb with his wife and his dog. His parents have bought an apartment nearby. On weekends they go out for brunch, cook and see friends. Life is good; it is normal. Then the invaders come.

The Language of War is about what happens when your world changes overnight. When you wake up to the sound of helicopters and the smell of gunpowder. When your home is hit by shells or broken into by gunmen, and you spend another night in a basement-turned-bomb shelter. When, even though you’ve never held a weapon before, you realise the only choice is to fight back. It is about things one can never forget, or forgive.

Bringing together Oleksandr Mykhed’s vivid day-by-day chronicles of the invasion of Ukraine with a chorus of other voices – his family, friends in exile, those who have fought and have witnessed unimaginable atrocities – this book is both a record, and a reckoning. Haunting and timeless, it asks how it is possible to find the words to describe a new reality; how you can still make sense of the world when the only language you can speak is the language of war.

Review

A stunning account of life in a time of war. If this doesn’t make you look up from your screen to reflect on Ukraine, then nothing will… often heart-rending… this is far more than history, invaluable as his detailed reporting is. As well as a reckoning with Russia, it is also a reflection on humanity in any war -- Alec Russell ― Financial Times

What role for the artist in times of catastrophe? An important book and a painful piece of history… brilliant -- Luke Harding ― Observer

A vivid account of invasion and the struggle to find the words to describe a new reality: war ― Financial Times

A harrowing recount of life as a Ukrainian during the first months of Russia’s invasion – a timely reminder of its ever-presence for the millions living through it. It is, in that sense, a book not about Ukraine but about Ukrainians. . . it will compel you to care ― Independent

In The Language of War, the author himself is the eyewitness… the book brims with horror… Mykhed wields a skilful, angry pen ― Economist

A detailed, on-the-ground account, reminding us of the atrocities that are changing life in Ukraine forever… The Language of War eats into the mind like phosphorus -- Robin Ashenden ― Spectator

Mykhed focusses on how culture and, in particular, language have become important theatres of war… a clever, passionate book -- Roger Boyes ― The Times

Before 24 February 2022, writer Oleksandr Mykhed and his wife, Olena, had an enviable life. In 2018 they’d bought a three-storey townhouse in Hostomel, a suburb of Kyiv. On Saturdays, they’d go out for brunch and walk their dog in the forest... Then came 24 February... Within less than a week, life had completely transformed... The Language of War is a book written in the moment, charting the first year of Russia's invasion... scattering fragments of his exploded past through the brutal reality of a grindingly violent present -- Charlotte Higgins ― Observer

Each piece of writing here helps us to understand a reality that we can and must repair. This book has helped me and will help anyone who wishes to understand war -- Timothy Snyder

I admired it so much because of the language: the precision of it, the shock… so fresh... one would rather that the book was never written because of the circumstances, but it is such a superb book -- Roddy Doyle

About the Author

Oleksandr Mykhed is a writer. Until March 2022, he lived in Kyiv; he is now enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is the author of nine books; selected essays and excerpts from his books have been translated into ten languages. He has participated in literary residencies in Finland, Latvia, Iceland, the USA and France, and a virtual residency at Oxford University. He has written for publications including The Financial Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and The Guardian, and has appeared as a guest on CNN and NPR. He is a member of PEN Ukraine.