Classic Chats: Charlotte Higgins on Ukrainian Lessons

The ongoing war in Ukraine forces a profound re-evaluation of the role of culture, where art and literature serve as essential tools for documenting history and processing collective trauma. Reporting from the front lines, Charlotte Higgins details how Ukrainian artists and writers navigate the existential threat of erasure by creating works that capture the visceral reality of conflict. Learning the Ukrainian language functions as a critical act of decolonization, shifting perspectives on national identity and personal history. Classical antiquity offers a framework for understanding these modern experiences, drawing parallels between the "Cassandra" archetype and the voices of Ukrainian women who speak truths that often go unheeded. Ultimately, the survival of communal artistic institutions—from opera to poetry readings—demonstrates that culture remains a fundamental pillar of resilience, even when daily life is defined by extreme fragility and the persistent proximity of loss.