Controlling the Story: Victim vs. Fighter

Oleksandr Mykhed is a Ukrainian 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, and anyone who has heard him speak, such as at the event in Waterstones in London with Luke Harding, will know how compelling he is.----------LINKS:https://x.com/mykhed_o https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/303637/oleksandr-mykhedhttps://pen.org.ua/en/autors/myhed-oleksandr ARTICLES:https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/30/the-language-of-war-by-oleksandr-mykhed-review-ukraine-russia-a-painful-piece-of-history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqWDfx4XtRY ----------BOOKS: Artur Dron' - We Were Here (2024)Kostiantyn Zorkin - In the Name of the City (2024)Kostiantyn Zorkin - Codex (Graphic novel in progress)FILMS:Pavlo Ostrikov - U Are the Universe (2024)Anton Ptushkin - Antarctica (2025) Mstyslav Chernov - 2000 Meters to Andriivka (2024)ARTISTS:Kostiantyn Zorkin----------The Steel Porcupine https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/I’m proud to say that this series of ‘Ukrainian advent’ interviews is supported by The Steel Porcupine – a unique and powerful film about a country that refuses to lie down, a people who turned themselves into a fortress of needles when Russian tanks rolled in. The Steel Porcupine is an unforgettable cinematic experience that exposes Russia's campaign of extermination in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people's spirit to resist and prevail. It follows soldiers, volunteers and people who decided that survival meant resistance, not submission.Created by the makers of the acclaimed To the Zero Line, this is another film about humanity, that clearly states there is no such thing as neutrality when war crimes are being committed systematically by Russia, and on a scale in Europe only comparable to World War Two. Set to a haunting soundtrack featuring music by Philip Glass, and blending rare archival footage with original material, it is an impactful work of art and storytelling, as well as being informative.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------