Drabyna
| Author | Yevheniia Kuznetsova |
|---|---|
| Original title | Драбина |
| Language | Ukrainian |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Old Lion Publishing House (Vydavnytstvo Staroho Leva) |
Publication date | 2023 |
| Publication place | Ukraine |
| Pages | 280 |
| ISBN | 978-966-448-097-7 |
Drabyna (Драбина) (translit. Drabyna; lit. The Ladder) is a 2023 Ukrainian novel by writer and translator Yevheniia Kuznetsova, published by Old Lion Publishing House.[1] The novel won the BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year award (2023).[2][3]
Review and reception
Ukrainian critics reviewed Drabyna as a contemporary wartime novel focused on private life rather than battlefield narratives, including attention to family dynamics and emotional endurance.[4][5] LiRoom highlighted the novel’s accessible, understated storytelling in approaching difficult themes.[6]
The book received wider public attention after it won the BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year award in December 2023.[2][3]
Awards and nominations
- BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year (winner, 2023).[2][3]
- Mentioned in coverage in connection with the Angelus Central European Literature Award (as reported in sources).[7][8]
Synopsis
The novel centres on Tolik, a Ukrainian IT specialist living in Spain whose distance from family is disrupted after the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2022, prompting an influx of relatives and a confrontation with responsibility, displacement, and the strains of relationships under wartime pressures.[9] Ukrainian-language coverage discussed the novel in the context of everyday life and displacement during the full-scale Russian invasion.[4]
References
- ^ "The Ladder (Драбина)". Book Lion. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Yevheniya Kuznyetsova, Ivan Malkovych and Rostyslav Semkiv win BBC News Ukraine Book of the Year 2023 awards". European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). 15 December 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "The BBC has announced the winners of the BBC Book of the Year award". Babel.ua. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ a b "«Драбина», яка веде не вниз: про що новий роман Євгенії Кузнєццової". Chytomo (in Ukrainian). 19 June 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Драбина". Krytyka (in Ukrainian). December 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Або пан умре, або осел здохне: читаємо рецензію на «Драбину» Євгенії Кузнєцової". LiRoom (in Ukrainian). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Пишемо ювілейний диктант разом! / Let's Write the Anniversary Dictation Together". Poltava State Medical University (in Ukrainian). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "A manual for interacting with Ukrainians. Three bestsellers from Eugenia Kuznetsova". Chytomo. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "«Драбина» — Євгенія Кузнєцова (анотація)". Yakaboo (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 27 January 2026.