Defending the human in war poetry

What does it mean to write poetry on the front line of the bloodiest war in Europe since the Second World War?

Join the Ukrainian servicewoman and prize-winning poet, Yaryna Chornohuz, to hear her work written under fire while saving lives as a combat medic, and gain a unique perspective on world events.

Yaryna Chornohuz is one of the most prominent voices amidst an extraordinary generation of Ukrainian warrior poets, the likes of which has not been seen since the First World War — what is it about poetry that allows to raise a voice in defence of human life in the face of a genocidal force that seeks to destroy it?

Learn also about the translation process of such intense poetry with Hugh Roberts (University of Exeter) who worked on Yaryna Chornohuz’s [dasein: defence of presence] (Jantar Publishing, 2025) with the translator Amelia Glaser (University of California San Diego) and the prize-winning poet, Fiona Benson. He’ll share some of the challenges of rendering Ukrainian wartime poetry for readers of English, and discuss how and why we arrived at our solutions.

Come along if you’re interested in Russia’s war on Ukraine or poetry or both. The event is suitable for adults and children 12+.

This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6 – 15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.