‘Speaking is also a great act of love for each other’ Ukrainian poet Kateryna Kalytko on overcoming ‘Ukraine fatigue’ in Frankfurt

Ukrainian poet Kateryna Kalytko is optimistic that Ukrainian voices are overcoming global “Ukraine fatigue.”

“I am greatly moved by how we, despite all the enormous fatigue, neurotic state, irritation and ‘fractures,’,  have lots of love for each other. It is very fragile and cautious,” said Kalytko, a translator and novelist whose poems have appeared in anthologies of Ukrainian literature and been translated into several languages. “I find it impressive that the fragility of existence is the motto of Ukrainian national stand because this is what it’s all about: when you fear to hug a person too strong because they may have injuries, PTSD, or other violations of personal boundaries, in which it can be painful, but it is very important for you to hug them, at least mentally, and be with them.”

Kalytko spoke at the panel “Words in War” with Ostap Slyvynsky, which took place at the Ukrainian National Stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair and was organized by the Goethe-Institut and Ukrainian Book Institute.

She also expressed appreciation for the unity among Ukrainians.

“There’s this feeling that you come home to very different people with whom you may not have much in common, but you have this collective experience that you cannot compare to anything—during almost two years—and that you cannot fully explain to anyone—all this metaphysics that we have lived through over the past two years. But it is understandable beyond words there, and this feeling of belonging to your people is priceless,” she added.

According to Kalytko, Ukrainian society has accepted an unspoken, but widely agreed upon rule, a kind of new social contract: everything must be done in the best way possible because it may be the last thing we do. “This is necessary both for victory and for not being ashamed of the ‘footprint’ we leave after ourselves. Because we are actually very fragile, and our whole existence is very fragile,” she noted. “Ukrainian voices that are now heard globally, in fact, overcome the silence and the ‘Ukrainian fatigue’ which has naturally begun to rise, and this speaking is also a great act of love for each other.”

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Main image: Kateryna Kalytko’s Facebook page