Seven must-read books of Ukrainian literature in Spanish

Over the last few years, the range of Ukrainian literature translated into Spanish has expanded considerably. Spanish readers can now enjoy a much wider range of Ukrainian titles. Although the process of introducing Ukrainian masterpieces is just beginning, there have already been positive results: a number of books are now available to suit different tastes, including classic and modern novels, distinctive female voices, and contemporary poetry.

“Melancholic Waltz” / “Valse mélancolique” by Olha Kobylianska

La Tortuga Búlgara, 2025

This work is one of the first feminist manifestations in Ukrainian literature. At the end of the 19th century, Olha Kobylianska defined a new type of woman: intelligent, independent, talented and eager for knowledge.

The author also reflected on music and art and their influence on human beings, as well as on the fate of a talented artist. Will these three women be able to fulfil their potential? Will any of them return to the role assigned to them by their family?

“Moscoviada” by Yuri Andrukhovych

Acantilado, 2010

“Moscoviada” is said to be a ‘horror novel,’ but what is it really about? The novel describes one turbulent day in the life of the Ukrainian poet Otto von F. in Moscow.

He begins the day on the seventh floor of a university literary pension or dormatory unable to write, wanders around the city, drinks in different bars and meets different women, always descending. He finally ends up in the metro underground, in a parodic afterlife space where the deceased celebrate their meetings. 

The entire narrative is a journey, because life itself is a path from birth to death, where every movement becomes a significant sign that acquires a deeper and more profound meaning.

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“Voroshilovgrad” / “Voroshilovgrado” by Serhiy Zhadan

 Galaxia Gutenberg, 2024

“Voroshilovgrado” by Serhiy Zhadan is a journey through eastern Ukraine, an unexpected return home during the turbulent 1990s in post-Soviet Ukraine. And why does the main hero come back?

Herman is driven by a fundamental impulse: to protect his loved ones. The novel argues that when an individual is deprived of freedom, territory, past, and memory, the only human response is resistance, a battle fought with both love and hatred. It is for this principle that Herman returns for his brother.

This story is a unique mosaic of dynamic narratives, colourful characters and surprising twists, alternating between moments of truly funny humor and mystical melancholy.

“Dom’s Dream Kingdom” / “Un hogar para Dom” by Victoria Amelina

Avizor Ediciones, 2023

Victoria Amelina’s novel, “Un hogar para Dom”, tells the story of several generations of the same family. The history is not told by them, but is rather reconstructed by the reader from the fragmented perspective of their dog, Dom—from what he heard and what he didn’t manage to understand.

The family settled in Lviv in the 1990s. After the fall of the Soviet empire, the future was deeply uncertain: they did not know how to build a new life or how to say goodbye to the old one.

Dom does not just see and hear; his powerful sense of smell, his most important tool, is capable of detecting what people hide. He captures the scent of tears, love, sadness, pain, lies, sincerity, and even illness hidden within the body.

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“Daughter” / “Hija de Donetsk” by Tamara Duda

Armaenia, 2023

Tamara Duda has written a distinctive book that explores wartime stories from a woman’s perspective.

War destroys absolutely everything: life, freedom, rights, love, hobbies, friends, loved ones; the protagonist is forced to abandon everything, in an instant when even material possessions lose their value.

If everything is lost, what remains?

The answer is hope, faith, love, and fierce courage. This courage, invisible in times of peace, becomes sharper amid explosions and mortal danger, transforming into a shining sword that protects the essential.

“Contemporary Ukrainian Poetry: 11 Modern Poets” / “Poesía actual de Ucrania. 11 poetas contemporáneos”

La Tortuga Búlgara, 2025

Despite the horrors of the invasion, this poetry praises the unbreakable resilience of the Ukrainian spirit, the value of life and the essential struggle for freedom.

A warning siren is not a metaphor, it is reality. This publication not only empathises deeply with the Ukrainian experience, but also gives voice to eleven contemporary poets.

“My women” / “Las mujeres de Ucrania” by Yuliya Ilyukha

La Tortuga Búlgara, 2025

This is a moving collection of short stories focusing on women.

Yuliya Ilyukha centers on women who are either waiting for their loved ones from the front (with the uncertainty of not knowing if they will ever return); or who have left and live with guilt; or who are on the other side of the border and wonder if they made the right decision to stay; or who decided to go to war themselves; or who are struggling to preserve something of their past. It is the voice of all those women who have to live through the conflict.

Thus, each reader can experience the horrific reality through a vision that is both poetic and realistic.

The publication is a part of the “Chytomo Picks” project. The materials have been prepared with the assistance of the Ukrainian Book Institute at the expense of the state budget. The author’s opinion may not coincide with the official position of the Ukrainian Book Institute.

Copy editing: Ben Angel