Overview

Each time Ukraine has rebuilt itself over the last century, it has been plagued by the same conflicts: corruption, poverty, and, most of all, Russian aggression. Sophie Pinkham saw all this and more during ten years in Ukraine and Russia, a period that included the Maidan revolution of 2013–14, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the ensuing war in Donbass. With a keen eye for the dark absurdities of post-Soviet society, Pinkham presents a dynamic account of contemporary Ukrainian life. She meets—among others—a charismatic doctor helping to smooth the transition to democracy even as he struggles with drug dependence; a band of Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian hippies in a Crimean idyll; and a Jewish clarinetist agitating for Ukrainian liberation. These fascinating personalities, rendered in a bold, original style, deliver an indelible impression of a country on the brink. Black Square is necessary reading for anyone who wishes to learn the roots of the current Russo-Ukrainian war and the stories of the people who live it every day.

Full Product Details

9780393247978

Table of Contents

Reviews

""This intimate portrait of contemporary Ukraine gracefully combines history, political analysis, and memoir…[Pinkham’s] eye for the idiosyncrasies of post-Soviet life and language is special."" -- The New Yorker ""[A] lively memoir about traveling in post-Soviet Ukraine…passionate and persuasive."" -- Alexandra Popoff - Wall Street Journal ""Affecting…Pinkham has an eye for the elegiac."" -- Andrew Meier - New York Times Book Review ""[Pinkham] is a unique and fascinating guide to the post-Soviet generation…honest, clear, and deeply humane."" -- Catherine Merridale - Financial Times ""Pinkham is the one to read. She is intimate, sincere, and unpretentious—the perfect cultural commentator."" -- William T. Vollmann - Bookforum ""Engrossing... Pinkham has a gift for bringing the people she encounters into colorful focus. "" -- Michael Barron - The Culture Trip ""Essential reading for anyone who cares about Ukraine, anyone who’s wondering if they should care about Ukraine, and anyone who happens to like nonfiction narratives told in a human voice."" -- Natalia Antonova - openDemocracy ""Essential reading. What makes Black Square superb, to my mind, is Pinkham’s keen eye for the dark comedy and tragedy that mark so many of her subjects. Her portraits of individual Ukrainians and Russians are as rich and nuanced as her synthesis of their national histories and politics. The result is a book whose literary achievement will outlast its timeliness."" -- Anthony Marra ""Black Square is as elegant, suggestive, ominous, beautiful, and deceptively simple as, well, a black square. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the sheer number and diversity of people Sophie Pinkham has spoken to is how deftly she has woven their stories into a single compulsively readable narrative."" -- Elif Batuman ""Sophie Pinkham is a wry, erudite observer of human foibles, political illusions, and funny hats. In Ukraine and its complex and tragic confrontation with Russia (and itself), she has found the perfect subject. Anyone who wants an explanation of Ukraine’s recent history that goes beyond Kremlin propaganda and Western media oversimplification should read this book."" -- Keith Gessen ""An empathetic and deeply humanizing look at troubled times and dangerous, revolutionary days."" -- Peter Pomerantzev ""Black Square is a sharp-eyed portrait of Ukraine in post-Soviet times—funny and moving, sad and slyly ironic by turns. It’s especially valuable in helping us to understand the deeper origins of the Maidan movement, and to see how the painful divisions running through Ukraine today have played out in everyday life. With a combination of sympathy and skeptical wit, Pinkham shows us an extraordinary, often baffling country in all its human complexity."" -- Tony Wood, author of Chechnya: The Case for Independence ""Black Square is a remarkable historical memoir: humane, shocking and full of brilliant insight. Sophie Pinkham never succumbs to easy judgement. Her book is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the tragic and dangerous confrontation between Ukraine and Russia."" -- Rachel Polonsky

Essential reading. What makes Black Square superb, to my mind, is Pinkham's keen eye for the dark comedy and tragedy that mark so many of her subjects. Her portraits of individual Ukrainians and Russians are as rich and nuanced as her synthesis of their national histories and politics. The result is a book whose literary achievement will outlast its timeliness. -- Anthony Marra Black Square is as elegant, suggestive, ominous, beautiful, and deceptively simple as, well, a black square. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the sheer number and diversity of people Sophie Pinkham has spoken to is how deftly she has woven their stories into a single compulsively readable narrative. -- Elif Batuman Sophie Pinkham is a wry, erudite observer of human foibles, political illusions, and funny hats. In Ukraine and its complex and tragic confrontation with Russia (and itself), she has found the perfect subject. Anyone who wants an explanation of Ukraine's recent history that goes beyond Kremlin propaganda and Western media oversimplification should read this book. -- Keith Gessen An empathetic and deeply humanizing look at troubled times and dangerous, revolutionary days. -- Peter Pomerantzev Black Square is a sharp-eyed portrait of Ukraine in post-Soviet times-funny and moving, sad and slyly ironic by turns. It's especially valuable in helping us to understand the deeper origins of the Maidan movement, and to see how the painful divisions running through Ukraine today have played out in everyday life. With a combination of sympathy and skeptical wit, Pinkham shows us an extraordinary, often baffling country in all its human complexity. -- Tony Wood, author of Chechnya: The Case for Independence

Author Information

Sophie Pinkham is a professor at Cornell University and a former NEH Public Scholar. Her writing on Russia and Ukraine has appeared in the New York Review of Books, New York Times, Guardian, New Yorker, and Harper’s. She lives in Ithaca, New York.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available