Ukraine by Yaroslav Hrytsak

Ukraine by Yaroslav Hrytsak – the forging of a nation – is the second book I read by this author. The first one was a lovely book about Christmas in Ukraine.
This is a history book, but with a difference. While it has all the historical details, how the facts are presented is very interesting and the narrative of the book makes it feel at times as a story and not a dry history book. Of course, all the important facts are covered in suitable detail. For a 400 pages book, it does cover a lot of time and a few fascinating themes. Yaroslav Hrytsak is an well known Ukrainian historian and it is worth getting his book.

In this history book, UKRAINE The Forging of a Nation, there are 6 chapters, five of them have an interlude at the end, of about 10 pages each. The first chapter is on the name of Ukraine and I found it very interesting. From Chapter 2, the interludes are about the black soil, so representative of Ukraine and its impact on the history of the country, another one is on the history of Ukrainian song. There are details about culture and how peasants would see themselves.
For me, the peasantry and their relation to the idea of nation was fascinating, their views of the people with education such as priests and why they considered monarchs as important. Before that, the Cossack’s relation with the territory and identity was discussed. The writing is clear and engaging. I enjoyed the book so much that I am considering buying it, to re-read at some point in the future. Now I just read it for fun, without taking notes, but I will re-read it and take notes while doing that.

Another aspect to mention is that, despite being only 400 pages long, which is not a lot to cover a history of more than a millennia, Hrytsak found the space to mention interesting snippets like what Danube meant or how John Hughes (Welshmen who founded what is now Donetsk) would sign himself 103. There are a few quotes from poems to bring to life the cultural history. He also touched on economic history in a way that can be enjoyed by non-historians too. I highly recommend the book, it’s very good.

Ukraine by Yaroslav Hrytsak

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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: Yes!
Published by: Sphere
Year it was published: 2023 (first published in 2022)
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): History of Ukraine
Pages: 448

About the author: Yaroslav Hrytsak is a leading Ukrainian historian and public intellectual. He is the author of numerous publications in modern history of Eastern Europe. He has taught at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Central European University (Budapest), and has been awarded various Ukrainian and foreign awards for academic achievements and public endeavors.
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