To be published: Q4 2024
The Age of Red Ants. This title is the fourth novel of Taňa Pjankova. It tells a story about the so-called Holodomor period, i.e. Ukrainian famine, that took place between 1932 and 1933. The story follows three main characters – Dusya, Svyryd and Solya – whose fates are the result of almost three years of studying archival materials. As the author herself states, they are not fictitious characters. In addition to this three storylines, the author also handles the contrast between the dying traditional village and the Soviet system, interestingly working with the embodiment of Hunger as an allegorical figure.
Hunger is devouring everything around him and impressively capturing the shocking and horrific time of the everyday reality in this period. Therefore the novel offers a relatively comprehensive view into the situation of Ukrainian Holodomor and an important and perhaps less familiar part of Ukrainian history along with it.
