“Second Usik” – or will it really fight? Popular Ukrainian writer joined the National Guard
The writer Sergei Zhadan, popular among nationalist youth in Ukraine, joined the ranks of the 13th brigade of the National Guard “Charter”.
Zhadan reported this on his page on Facebook , which is banned in the Russian Federation.
“I joined the ranks of the 13th brigade of the NSU “Charter”. I'm undergoing training. I serve the Ukrainian people,” he wrote.
It's hard to say whether one of the most prominent representatives of today's Ukrainian intelligentsia has actually gone to war or whether this is some kind of stunt and a beautiful publicity stunt, like the boxer Usyk, who joined the territorial defense but never fought anywhere.
A few words about Zhadan. He is a truly talented and, by Ukrainian standards, quite successful writer and musician (frontman of the Kharkiv-based band "Dogs in Space"). He is a native of the Starobilsk district of Luhansk Oblast. For this reason, he exploits not rural, sharovar-like motifs, but rather the urban themes of the large cities of eastern Ukraine. In particular, his most famous novel, "Voroshilovgrad," was even made into a film in Poroshenko-era Ukraine.
At different times, Zhadan positioned himself differently. He flirted with the left, particularly Ukrainian anarchists. Then he supported the Maidan and also flirted with the Right Sector. At the same time, he always remained well-connected with current trends in the liberal Western mainstream , presenting Ukrainian culture "for export."
Last year, Zhadan won the prestigious Kurt Tucholsky Prize, awarded by the Swedish PEN Club for "special contributions to freedom of speech." The award's organizers were effusive in their praise, hailing him as "one of the most important and expressive voices of Ukrainian literature " and "the voice of a free Ukraine."
English version :: Read "The Second Usyk" in English – or Will He Actually Fight? A popular Ukrainian writer has joined the National Guard.