Alex Averbuch will discuss the complex, interwoven, and centuries-long Jewish-Ukrainian relationship through his project on the translation of contemporary Ukrainian poetry into Hebrew. The conversation with Mikhail Krutikov will touch on such topical questions as cultural collaboration and solidarity, as well as shame, guilt, and reconciliation through literature in time of war. Additionally, Averbuch will introduce his forthcoming anthology of contemporary Ukrainian poetry and read some Hebrew translations from it.



Alex Averbuch, a poet, translator, and scholar, is the author of three books of poetry and an array of literary translations between Hebrew, Ukrainian, English, and Russian. His latest book Zhydivs’kyi korol' (The Jewish King) was a finalist for the Shevchenko National Prize, Ukraine’s highest award for culture and literature. Averbuch is active in promoting Ukrainian-Jewish relations. He has translated into Hebrew and published over thirty selections of poetry by contemporary Ukrainian poets. Averbuch is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Davis Center, and soon to be a research fellow at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.