Devon academics help Ukrainian war poetry find English voice

Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities are continuing

Devon academics have helped bring powerful Ukranian war poetry to an English-speaking audience.

The poems, some written by poets fighting on the frontline, have been translated and published online.

The project has been led by the University of Exeter, together with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, and poet and translator Yuliya Musakovska.

The University's Professor Hugh Roberts, described the poems as "unbelievably powerful".

"The trauma that the people of Ukraine are enduring is beyond comprehension, but these poems make it tangible and visceral in a way that is scarcely metaphorical." said Mr Roberts who is leading the project.

The project arose following the visit last year of a delegation from Lviv who were invited to take part in a literature event in Exeter.

Selected poems were then translated and recorded by university staff.

One describes the trauma of announcing on radio, the evacuation of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, while another recalls the thoughts of a soldier on duty during a moonlit night.

A third has been described as a "hymn of solidarity in the face of atrocity and trauma".

Professor Helen Vassallo, co-leading the project said: "Poetry is one of the means through which Ukrainians are resisting Russian cultural oppression, and we are witnessing a new generation of artists whose work is being shaped by these appalling events.

"It is essential that their voices are heard as widely as possible."