A first-hand account of art, survival and resistance in wartime Ukraine
'The most beautifully written, moving book I can ever remember reading' PHILIPPA PERRY
'A book for our times' PHILIPPE SANDS
'A brilliant and unforgettable book' EDMUND DE WAAL
Charlotte Higgins never imagined she would report on a war. But in the autumn of 2022, seven months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she travelled there to find out how artists and writers were reflecting the devastating events in their work. The experience would change her life.
In a war fuelled by the attempted erasure of Ukrainian culture - a war that has killed countless artists and created countless more - art has become a matter of life and death. In times of war, art and literature are where difficulty and complexity survive: where the most painful, unspeakable truths can still be faced.
Drawing on two decades of cultural journalism, three years of reporting trips to Ukraine and her training as a classicist, Ukrainian Lessons explores the profound connections between war, art and life. It is a searing, urgent and unforgettable book about what artists are prepared to risk - and why culture is worth fighting for.
'An excellent book' HENRY MARSH
'A survival manual for our blood-stricken times' JACQUELINE ROSE
'Beautiful, erudite, heart-breaking' LINDSEY HILSUM
| ISBN: | 9781787335974 |
| Publication date: | 20th August 2026 |
| Author: | Charlotte Higgins |
| Publisher: | Jonathan Cape an imprint of Vintage Publishing |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 272 pages |
| Genres: |
The arts: general topics Social and cultural anthropology Social and cultural history Specific wars and campaigns History of art Reportage, journalism or collected columns |
A first-hand account of art, survival and resistance in wartime Ukraine
'The most beautifully written, moving book I can ever remember reading' PHILIPPA PERRY
'A book for our times' PHILIPPE SANDS
'A brilliant and unforgettable book' EDMUND DE WAAL
Charlotte Higgins never imagined she would report on a war. But in the autumn of 2022, seven months into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she travelled there to find out how artists and writers were reflecting the devastating events in their work. The experience would change her life.
In a war fuelled by the attempted erasure of Ukrainian culture - a war that has killed countless artists and created countless more - art has become a matter of life and death. In times of war, art and literature are where difficulty and complexity survive: where the most painful, unspeakable truths can still be faced.
Drawing on two decades of cultural journalism, three years of reporting trips to Ukraine and her training as a classicist, Ukrainian Lessons explores the profound connections between war, art and life. It is a searing, urgent and unforgettable book about what artists are prepared to risk - and why culture is worth fighting for.
'An excellent book' HENRY MARSH
'A survival manual for our blood-stricken times' JACQUELINE ROSE
'Beautiful, erudite, heart-breaking' LINDSEY HILSUM
Ukrainian Lessons features in the following genres: The arts: general topics, Social and cultural anthropology, Social and cultural history, Specific wars and campaigns, History of art, Reportage, journalism or collected columns
Ukrainian Lessons is available in Hardback
Ukrainian Lessons was written by Charlotte Higgins and published by Jonathan Cape an imprint of Vintage Publishing
Ukrainian Lessons has 272 pages
£19.80