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Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less
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Forgottenness: A Novel Paperback – January 23, 2024

by Tanja Maljartschuk (Author), Zenia Tompkins (Translator)
4.3 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
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Winner of the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year Award
Winner of the Usedom Literature Prize

"The first novel originally written in Ukrainian to be published by a major U.S. trade house . . . the novel itself pushes back against despair, simply by virtue of existing . . . haunted and haunting." ―Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic

From one of Ukraine’s most prolific contemporary authors comes this profound novel of belonging and uprootedness, as understood by two exiles across time.

An award-winning novel from one of Ukraine’s most prolific contemporary authors, Forgottenness tells a spellbinding story of belonging and uprootedness, as understood by two exiles across time. An exceedingly anxious narrator grapples with a host of conditions, from obsessive-compulsive disorder to a creeping sense of agoraphobia. As her symptoms deepen, she finds unexpected solace researching Viacheslav Lypynskyi (1882–1931), a social and political activist of Polish descent who played a pivotal role in the struggle for Ukrainian independence―and who nursed his own comorbidities. In this long-deceased ideologue the narrator finally finds companionship, mining her country’s history in pursuit of a better grasp over her own. Brilliantly translated by Zenia Tompkins, Forgottenness movingly illuminates the intricacies of the Ukrainian experience and announces Tanja Maljartschuk as an essential voice in contemporary world literature.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Liveright
  4. Publication date
    January 23, 2024
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1324093226
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1324093220
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From the Publisher

novel, ukraine, historical fiction
novel, ukraine, historical fiction
novel, ukraine, historical fiction

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Resurrection is the great theme of Forgottenness. Maljartschuk never uses the word, but reading between the lines, we understand that the exhuming of memory is meant to be a miracle . . . the novel itself pushes back against despair, simply by virtue of existing . . . haunted and haunting."
― Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic

"[A] cryptic, haunting novel meant to be read in this moment . . . Ukraine has been fought over for generations, if not centuries. Forgottenness aims to get at the soul of this struggle."
― Martha Anne Toll, NPR

"A landmark translation . . . Forgottenness shares a way to read itself and also to read Ukraine’s latest fight for survival. Maljartschuk personifies the statewide struggle against oblivion in the individual struggle to accept the things you can’t change while refusing to accept the things you can."
― Johannes Lichtman, Foreign Policy

"Maljartschuk’s novel succeeds because she defies this expectation: her narrative refuses to indulge in the easy, appealing desire for a triumphalist future, for a future from which nothing has been erased and no one has been lost . . . Maljartschuk’s novel is a reminder that although everything will ultimately be lost to time, swallowed up by what she calls the 'blue whale' of oblivion, one has a duty to slow down this process for as long as possible. Being 'responsible for memory', even in the face of its destruction, is a requirement for a dignified life."
― Linda Kinstler, New Statesman

"This tale of two alienated figures in their own time features evocative metaphors aplenty―and a broader meditation on time, memory, and history. The juxtaposition of a historical narrative with narration in the present day never feels overly mannered, and the result is a thoughtful illumination of both an underdocumented period in history and its effects in the present."
― Tobias Carroll, Words Without Borders

"Captivating . . . On a subconscious level, the narrator contends with the horrors endured by her family during Ukraine’s centuries-long fight to maintain its history, language, and culture . . . Forgottenness is part of a larger and ongoing trend in contemporary Ukrainian literature where authors are looking to the past in an effort to better understand the present."
― Kate Tsurkan, Kyiv Independent

"Originally published in 2016 in Ukrainian, this translation, in light of current events in the country, offers a wider international audience access to Ukrainian voices."
― Booklist

"[R]esonant . . . Maljartschuk fruitfully explores themes of erasure and remembrance to meditate on what survives the onslaught of time."
― Publishers Weekly

"An impressively sincere self-inquiry about identity."
― Jury of the Usedom Prize, led by Olga Tokarczuk

"It's no coincidence that time and memory are the big topic today, feeding off the anxieties of the world. Tanja Maljartschuk’s novel is about the giant blue whale of time swallowing everything living on its way. What she is interested in is not even disappearance but tracelessness. Both personal and political, this book rages against time and oblivion as all true literature does."
― Georgi Gospodinov, author of Time Shelter (International Booker Prize 2023)

"A novel that dares and wins."
― Taz [Germany]

About the Author

Tanja Maljartschuk was born and raised in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, and now lives in Austria. Her works have won the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year Award, the Usedom Prize, and the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, among others.

Zenia Tompkins is an American literary translator and the founder of the Tompkins Agency for Ukrainian Literature in Translation (TAULT).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Liveright (January 23, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1324093226
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1324093220
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Zenia Tompkins

    Zenia Tompkins

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    Zenia Tompkins is an American of Ukrainian descent, and began translating Ukrainian literature in 2015, after fifteen years’ experience in education, academia, and the private sector. She holds graduate degrees in Middle Eastern Languages and Literatures from Columbia University and Islamic Studies from the University of Virginia. A past recipient of fellowships from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others, Zenia has varying levels of proficiency in nine languages. Her translations have been supported by grants from the Ukrainian Book Institute, the House of Europe, and the Peterson Literary Fund, among others, and include Tanja Maljartschuk’s A Biography of a Chance Miracle, Olesya Yaremchuk's Our Others: Stories of Ukrainian Diversity, Vakhtang Kipiani's WWII, Uncontrived and Unredacted: Testimonies from Ukraine, and Oleksandr Shatokin's The Happiest Lion Cub. She lives in exurban Virginia with her husband and three kiddos. Zenia is currently translating books by Stanislav Aseyev, Oleksandr Mykhed, and Tanja Maljartschuk, scheduled for publication in late 2022 and early 2023. She has served as the lead English translator for The Old Lion Publishing House, Ukraine's premier literary press, since 2019.

    In 2018, she founded the Tompkins Agency for Ukrainian Literature in Translation (TAULT), a nonprofit literary agency and translation house devoted to the visibility and availability of contemporary Ukrainian Literature in the English-speaking world (https://www.tault.org/)

    See more on the author's page
  2. Tanja Maljartschuk

    Tanja Maljartschuk

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
36 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Natpaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing novel
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The translation is flawless and the novel itself a real joy to read. Epigenetic damage emerges as a theme, which for Ukrainians is a long legacy of inheritance. On occasion the novel bogs down in historic reminisces of the protagonist, but the history is presented in such a (unflinchingly) interesting way, it doesn't always deter one from reading onwards.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Bryna Adamo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Completely and utterly breathtaking.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
    This beautifully written book is an adventure in time travel. In researching a long forgotten titan in the Ukrainian struggle of the early 20th century, a woman finds her purpose that brings her back from the precipice of forgottenness, She was a huntress of history, and her goal was not only for her own survival but also for his. This work is about finding connection with others, even if you have to search through space and time to find them.
    The imagery and the story telling tone throughout this novel plunges you into a journey of self-discovery, resolve and purpose that at times you are uncertain of where you were going and how you got there but with a little faith you get there. This was so captivating and cerebral that I felt trapped in the narrative, not fully conceptualizing what was happening to me as I read it; I was searching for connection. His to her. Hers to him. Mine to them. This was food for the soul.
    Completely and utterly breathtaking.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I used to think that time healed all wounds...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Then I learned about the blue whale analogy from this novel. No matter how simple or complex a single life is, no matter how good or bad it has been lived, it will be swallowed by time and forgotten. It's a very comforting thought to embrace.
    Novel is rich in detail about Ukraines tragic 20th century politics.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Peter Fedynsky
    5.0 out of 5 stars Arcane yet universal
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The author takes an arcane figure from early 20th century Ukrainian history to tell a universal story of history, politics, personalities, philosophy, life and human relations. Insightful, entertaining and very well-written.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Greg Pinckard
    5.0 out of 5 stars forgottenness
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
    It’s a very good read. The narrator is a sympathetic character. I’m surprised more book clubs haven’t taken it up.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Anna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant novel of Ukrainian author!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
    I read this novel for our Boston book club and boy it's amazing! Very phycological, a bit noire, the story catches you until the last page! Highly recommend to friends of Ukraine, for those who want to support brilliant Ukrainian author!
    8 people found this helpful
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