Ilovaisk
by Yevhen Polozhii
Ilovaisk (2015) is a novel about the tragic events of the summer/autumn 2014 when part of Ukrainian Armed Forces were ambushed by the Russian army near Ilovaisk in the Eastern Ukraine. The author interviewed more than a hundred servicemen in hospitals and on the front lines - those who took part in the campaign. Based on their recollection of events, he written 16 short stories, all connected by characters, time and place. The book has become a bestseller and has several reprints in Ukraine. The book was turned into a screenplay. The movie called “Border” is currently being produced based on the book. A theatre play Eastern Vacations by Stozhary Theater was staged in Montreal, Canada. A sculpture of the soldier and a little girl has been mounted in the Museum of Anti Terroristic Operation in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine to commemorate the story of Ilovaisk defenders told by the old man named Ivan in the book. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Book Institute, Ilovaisk is among 30 iconic books since Ukraine's independence.