Valeriy Shevchuk | Author

Valeriy Shevchuk

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22.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL, Part 2: Blood on the Snow (2nd lot) He had been living here a dozen or so years. In a cell with two rooms; in one was a table and benches made of linden wood; the table was covered with a carpet and the benches were upholstered in woollen fabric; the second room was his bedroom: it had a bed and a small candle burning before the icons, which he ensured never went out. He dropped to his knees, without undressing, and felt a great weariness overcome hi...Continue reading

21.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL, Part 2: Blood on the Snow (3rd lot) A naked woman in an empty field, where everything had faded and died; her screams were shrill, her moans searing hot! A war horse had trampled the snow all around her, there was a flash of vicious teeth, the lasso whistled through the air and howled like a black bird; it slapped against her bare shoulders and pulled tight; the marauder let out a scream and a shrill ululation; his war horse dug into the snow and earth ...Continue reading

19.01.2022 Valeriy Shevchuk’s books force the reader to think, to love, to hate, to believe, to struggle and, most importantly, to LIVE.

18.01.2022 "Better to be a nobody, than to be a slave." Valeriy Shevchuk

17.01.2022 THE GROUP OF FRIENDS FROM THE BAR NEAR CHUDNIV BRIDGE (an excerpt) One time some guests turned up at our place, and among them was some stranger (who he was I don’t know to this day) who asked me to recite a poem. I knew a poem by heart called We Were Victorious!. And so I animatedly recited it to the fellow, and he clapped his hands in appreciation and then slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a very large wallet, made of leather, if my memory serves me ri...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Finished translating all 13 novellas forming the second part of "The House on the Hill". The final one "Grey Clouds" will not appear on this page - you'll have to buy the book for that. Translating the second part of "The House on the Hill" first seemed logical, as the author wrote this part first and even played with the idea of publishing it alone, but then wrote a "preamble novel" set in 1960s Ukraine to go with it. In these 13 novellas Shevchuk draws heavily on Ukrainian mythology and folklore, on Ukraine's pre-Christian roots, but also weaves in Biblical themes. The translation was difficult and still requires editing, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable. And learnt many things about the world and human nature...

15.01.2022 HOUSE ON THE HILL, Chapter 3 (first part) In heaven they cut snares, And toss them upon the earth. From an Ancient Sumerian text 1...Continue reading

11.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL, Part 2: THE COBBLER (lot 1) It was cold both in the house and in his soul. He thought: ‘The tacks have finished, and there are no more birch billets.’ And also he thought: there’s a drizzle outside, a light, mean, cold drizzle. Which was why he felt a coldness in his soul; he gave a cursory glance all nine of his dependents were seated on the bench, among them Mariyka, his five-year-old, whom he loved most of all, and Saint Mykola [Saint Nicholas] ...Continue reading

06.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL. Part 2: The Incubus Maria’s face was red from crying those tears of her’s burnt her father, like fire. They sat alone in the house. Her father could see that something bad was happening with his daughter. Ever since Ivan left with the army... he began and did not finish the sentence: his daughter collapsed onto her arms and began to sob. Timidly he touched Maria’s shoulder and felt that his own eyes were smarting. Your heart senses misfor...Continue reading

05.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL. Part 2: SAMSON (final lot) His soul became agitated, while his sorrow had grown into a shaggy white tree. And he had found a new strength in the depths of his being, in the depths of the morning and the sun. Straining with all his might he rose to his feet and then breathed heavily, swaying from side to side. The small lad supported him, and he understood that this helped him stay on his feet. And that now he was able to walk as well. But all a...Continue reading

04.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL. Part 2: SAMSON (1st lot) There was a smell of clay, a trickle of uncertain light, the stove looked grey; he looked about the house and was astonished that he had failed to notice all this before. In any case he always got up before daybreak and set off for his patch of field. The sinews swelled up on his neck, his long hair billowed behind him, his feet sunk into the ploughed soil like two heavy posts, his eyes filled with fire and he kept walking ...Continue reading

04.01.2022 A NOVEL OF THE CROWD Account Sixteen A BRIEF CHRONOGRAPHY OF THE STREET WITH NO FUTURE (An extract) Much water had flowed out of the two rivers which hugged this neighbourhood; many winds had raced through here, many changes had occurred in the street. I could keep writing this book ad infinitum, but now seems the right time to stop. However, I shall briefly mention a string of events, at least the ones associated with those characters (by the way, there are more than eigh...Continue reading

03.01.2022 THE HOUSE ON THE HILL, Part 2: THE COBBLER (lot 2) C’mon son, said the cobbler to his second oldest, go and ring a bell for him. The son hurried into the entry hall, even though he was a little scared, at least he hesitated in the doorway, and then he began ringing a bell in the entrance hall. Let me go! moaned the gamekeeper. Hear that? the cobbler strained his hearing his son rang the bell once more. Ringing!...Continue reading