Posthumous book by Ukrainian author Victoria Amelina documents war crimes since the Russian invasion

NEW YORK — In February, on the third anniversary of the war, a posthumous book will be published by Victoria Amelina, the Ukrainian author who was killed in a Russian missile strike last year.

Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary, based on Amelina’s interviews with 11 women who had documented war crimes since the Russian invasion, remained unfinished. Her husband, Oleksandr Amelin, was among those who helped edit and complete the book, which will include a foreword by Margaret Atwood.

“The book is a powerful testament to the courage and determination of women in war. It follows the paths of journalists, writers, human rights activists, lawyers and volunteers who are documenting war crimes in Ukraine while the war is still ongoing,” said the report from publisher St. Martin’s Press, which announced the project on Monday, exactly one year after Amelina’s death.

“It is also a personal war diary that documents the author’s transformation from novelist and mother to war crimes researcher.”

Amelina, 37, was the author of two novels and a children’s book. She traveled to areas liberated from the Russians and recorded testimonies from survivors. At the time of Amelina’s death, Columbia University had awarded her a scholarship in Paris to enable her to work on her book. Among her interviewees was Oleksandra Matviichuk, the human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Amelina was a member of PEN International, the organization for literature and freedom of expression.

“This book is the voice of Ukraine fighting for its freedom and future,” said Tetyana Teren, executive director of PEN Ukraine, in a statement. “This book is the voice of a writer who, in the most difficult time for her country, decided to testify about the Russians’ war crimes and demand punishment of the perpetrators.”