tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post5774968826635747999..comments2024-03-26T15:49:05.333-07:00Comments on Criminal Minds: UkraineJosh Stallingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09913654176433125233noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-87670042117573155342022-04-07T12:09:46.027-07:002022-04-07T12:09:46.027-07:00Dear Abir,
I was delighted to see your book A Nec...Dear Abir,<br /><br />I was delighted to see your book A Necessary Evil recently appear in Ukrainian. As someone who grew up in Ukraine and lived half my life in the UK and married a Punjabi-English man, I think the issues you raise in your books and the colonial history your bring to life, are so so important. <br />Your stories will find a grateful and understanding audience in Ukraine, I am absolutely certain of it. The Ukrainian readers will be able to relate very well to the imperial/colonial relationship between the UK and India because Ukraine is going through a post-colonial war with Russia right now. The way the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union viewed and treated Ukraine is very similar to the Great Britain/India history.<br />You say in your post, what can a writer do in these terrible times? But you are already doing a great deal of good with your books being translated and published in Ukrainian!<br />I also wanted to thank you personally for the Zoom talk you gave at the Faber Academy last autumn. I attended it as an alumna of the Write Your Novel course. At the time I was working on a historical novel set in the 18th century Ukraine dealing with the first Russian occupation of my country. It involved a murder of a Russia-appointed governor of the newly occupied Ukraine.<br />Your talk was an absolute inspiration to me. I realised I could try and do for Ukraine what you are doing so well for India - show its rich and tragic colonial history and legacy through the medium of a crime novel. I read your first two books after that talk, as well as a couple by Vaseem Khan, and I started my own crime novel set in Ukraine in 1996, just five years after it gained its independence post Soviet Union collapse. <br />Since the current war started, I have been unable to continue writing, preoccupied by my family and friends' safety back home. They have now moved to a safe place and I can't wait to get back to my novel. <br />Your Death in the East is my next book to read, I am very excited about it. The topic of immigration could not be more topical at the moment.<br />I am convinced Ukraine's freedom loving spirit will never be crushed. Ukraine will win. Thank you for thinking and writing this post about my country,<br /><br />My best wishes,<br /><br />Lydia Dhoul<br />Lydia Dhoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15163078006958283278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-37080712257581564162022-04-07T12:08:39.949-07:002022-04-07T12:08:39.949-07:00Dear Abir,
I was delighted to see your book A Nec...Dear Abir,<br /><br />I was delighted to see your book A Necessary Evil recently appear in Ukrainian. As someone who grew up in Ukraine and lived half my life in the UK and married a Punjabi-English man, I think the issues you raise in your books and the colonial history you bring to life, are so so important. <br />Your stories will find a grateful and understanding audience in Ukraine, I am absolutely certain of it. The Ukrainian readers will be able to relate very well to the imperial/colonial relationship between the UK and India because Ukraine is going through a post-colonial war with Russia right now. The way the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union viewed and treated Ukraine is very similar to the Great Britain/India history.<br />You say in your post, what can a writer do in these terrible times? But you are already doing a great deal of good with your books being translated and published in Ukrainian!<br />I also wanted to thank you personally for the Zoom talk you gave at the Faber Academy last autumn. I attended it as an alumna of the Write Your Novel course. At the time I was working on a historical novel set in the 18th century Ukraine dealing with the first Russian occupation of my country. It involved a murder of a Russia-appointed governor of the newly occupied Ukraine.<br />Your talk was an absolute inspiration to me. I realised I could try and do for Ukraine what you are doing so well for India - show its rich and tragic colonial history and legacy through the medium of a crime novel. I read your first two books after that talk, as well as a couple by Vaseem Khan, and I started my own crime novel set in Ukraine in 1996, just five years after it gained its independence post Soviet Union collapse. <br />Since the current war started, I have been unable to continue writing, preoccupied by my family and friends' safety back home. They have now moved to a safe place and I can't wait to get back to my novel. <br />Your Death in the East is my next book to read, I am very excited about it. The topic of immigration could not be more topical at the moment.<br />I am convinced Ukraine's freedom-loving spirit will never be crushed. Ukraine will win. Thank you for thinking and writing this post about my country,<br /><br />My best wishes,<br /><br />Lydia DhoulLydia Dhoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15163078006958283278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4994072470312639837.post-41902548506852491542022-02-26T08:57:35.808-08:002022-02-26T08:57:35.808-08:00Abir - You've captured the despair, the horror...Abir - You've captured the despair, the horror and the hope we all feel at this terrible and so unnecessary action taken by Putin. The Ukranian people are showing such bravery and resistance, knowing they risk heir lives. The free world has to step up. There is no other way.Brenda Chapmannoreply@blogger.com