Defending the Human in War Poetry - London (Being Human Festival)
Thu 13 Nov 2025, 7pm
Venue: Swedenborg House
Address: 20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Barter Street entrance), London, WC1A 2TH
Join the Ukrainian servicewoman and prize-winning poet, Yaryna Chornohuz a she reads her poems, written under fire while saving lives as a combat medic. Yaryna Chornohuz is one of the most prominent voices amidst a generation of Ukrainian warrior poets. What is it about poetry that allows us to raise a voice in defence of human life in the face of a genocidal force that seeks to destroy it?
Learn about the process of translating powerful wartime poetry with Hugh Roberts (University of Exeter), who worked on Yaryna Chornohuz’s [dasein: defence of presence] (Jantar Publishing, 2025) alongside translator Amelia Glaser (University of California San Diego) and award-winning poet Fiona Benson. Roberts will discuss the challenges, choices, and solutions involved in adapting Ukrainian wartime poetry for English readers.
The event is suitable for adults and children 12+ and is part of the ‘War Poetry as Existential Defence’ series at Being Human Festival 2025.
