In this episode we take a look at life, war and politics in Ukraine, through the eyes of its most celebrated writer. Andrey Kurkov rose to international fame with "Death and the Penguin" more than 20 years ago, but he has many other novels to his name, including "The Silver Bone", which has just been published in English. It's the first book in his new series, the Kyiv Mysteries. Kurkov is very active in promoting the literature and culture of his country around the world, and he was travelling around Europe as he recorded this interview.
Kurkov reminds us of the human cost of the war in his homeland. "Ukraine is a very different country from 2021, because we are talking about 6 or 7 million refugees abroad, 6 or 7 million displaced persons, and 30 percent of the territory destroyed and empty. So people who are displaced or who are abroad very often don't have a place to come back to. And, of course, the other issue is 400,000 Ukrainian children who attend schools in Europe and outside Europe. I don't believe their mothers will interrupt their studies, or will take them away when the war is frozen or ended. Because they are already integrated in the societies where they live."
