Generally, the discovery of a previously unknown manuscript, painting, song and other works attributable to creators is a source of joy and curiosity. It is difficult to associate the discovery of the “occupation diary” of the Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakoulenko with such a state of mind.
Because this diary is, sadly, a harbinger of the death of its author. In this, the title retained by the editors of this publication, First days of occupation. Last days of Volodymyris highly… and unfortunately appropriate.
Because of his activism, Vakulenko knew that the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, starting on February 24, 2022, risked costing him his life. But his desire for commitment, coupled with the even more primary desire to take care of his autistic son Vitaly, encouraged the writer to stay in the country and continue his activities. He nevertheless took care to warn his father that he was writing a diary and that he would bury it at the foot of a cherry tree in his home if he felt his existence threatened.
PHOTO FROM VICTORIA AMELINA’S X ACCOUNT
Volodymyr Vakoulenko’s diary had been buried under a cherry tree. He was found by Victoria Amelina.
Fact. The 36-page diary, written on squared sheets and in poor condition after their stay underground, was found at the designated location. Some photos of these pages, published in the book, show very tight, nervous, crossed out, condensed writing. They are tinged with a sense of urgency that reaches straight to our hearts.
If the newspaper is a harbinger of death as highlighted above, it is also, or even more, the bearer of a formidable desire to live in a disrupted daily life.
Between paragraphs detailing the escapades of the invaders, there is a call for freedom. It is a powerful chronicle of the darkest hours of civilians in survival mode as bombs fall and bullets whiz all around them.
Several recurring themes run through this brochure: repeated attempts to communicate with the outside world while the Internet is dying, the incessant quest for food, relationships with neighbors, some being ready to denounce you for a piece of bread or a packet of cigarettes, the worries of a father responsible for taking care of his son.
The morphology of the landscapes, urban and rural, ravaged by shells or the passage of armored vehicles, is just as detailed. “The fir trees in the central park seem to have been razored, needle by needle, and hundreds of trees have been half-severed by the explosions,” writes the author feverishly.
In short, the reader feels there, alongside Volodymyr, trying to find an anchor in this everyday life that has become senseless.
Interventions, in the preface and postface of the work, allow us to put the creation of the journal and its discovery into greater context. There is a very laudable effort here by Vakoulenko’s friends and literary specialists to pay homage to this book-testament with strong overtones of testimony.
We all know stories with poignant content condensed into a few pages. If it’s a man by Primo Levi, 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, Newspaper by Hélène Berr or even Unknown at this address by Kressmann Taylor are examples. Even if its author is much less known than these predecessors, First days of occupation. Last days of Volodymyr fits into this category.
Read the column “As long as a writer is read, he is alive” by Isabelle Hachey
Read the report “Forgive nothing, forget nothing” by Isabelle Hachey in Ukraine
Extract
“I ran every day to help others, thinking I was going to survive somehow. At the end of my volunteering, I had 100 grams of coffee and four cans of canned meat. Later, we distributed bread, and I also took a few loaves. This was the last delivery of bread to the village, and I sliced the last loaf into five pieces which I kept for my child. During the two weeks of occupation, I almost forgot the taste of bread, I only ate the crumbs left on the table by my son. »
Who is Volodymyr Vakulenko?
Born on 1er July 1972 in Kapytolivka, Volodymyr Vakoulenko worked in several professions before becoming a writer. He began publishing works in 2001 while being active in several literary associations. A specialist in children’s literature, he also publishes works of poetry and signs translations. An activist, he was assassinated between March 24 and May 12, 2022. Officially buried in Kharkiv on December 6, 2022, he received the Voltaire Prize and the Order of Merit of Ukraine posthumously.
First days of occupation. Last days of Volodymyr
Hashtag
100 pages