Serhiy Zhadan joins the army

Serhiy Zhadan, one of Ukraine's most internationally recognized writers, has joined the Ukrainian National Guard.

“I joined the ranks of the 13th brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard “Khartia” [Charter]. I am in training. Serve the Ukrainian people,” he wrote on his official Facebook page.

Serhiy Zhadan and his disassembled rifle.

The author of numerous novels and collections of poetry, Zhadan has been translated into more than a dozen languages. In English, a selection of poems “How Fire Descends,” translated by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps, was shortlisted for the PEN America Literary Prize for Poetry in Translation. His most recent novel, “The Orphanage,” translated by Reilly Costigan-Humes, takes place in the gray zone between forces during the 2014-15 Donbas War.

Zhadan, 49, is particularly popular among younger generations as the frontman of the ska-influenced punk band Zhadan i Sobaky (Zhadan and the Dogs).

During the first two years of the war, Zhadan traveled and performed tirelessly to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). A native of Starobilsk, in today's occupied Luhansk region, Zhadan is closely associated with Kharkiv, where he studied and taught literature at the university.

When Kharkiv came under renewed pressure in the spring, Zhadan decided to increase his level of participation, moving from raising funds for the purchase of vehicles and equipment to taking up arms alongside the National Guard.

In May, Zhadan organized a major poetry reading at the Kyiv Sports Palace, presenting his “Collection of Poems,” 1,400 pages covering verses from 1993 to 2023. According to organizers, about 4,000 people came to the event.

The poet said that all funds from the concert would be donated to the AFU, especially the “Khartia” brigade.

Zhadan is by no means the first Ukrainian writer to join the AFU: Artem Chapeye, Artem Chekh and Oleh Sentsov are just three other writers who have achieved some notoriety outside Ukraine. Many other artists still ply their trade in the trenches or recovering.