Maksym Kryvtsov

Poèmes de la brèche

October 7, 2025

Poetry

208 pages

140 × 205 mm

22 €

979-1-0949-3648-1

Traduit de l’ukrainien par

Nikol Dziub

Diffusion : CEDIF
Distribution : POLLEN

These poems, written from the trenches, strike like shrapnel: they wound, enlighten, and awaken. They speak of the terrible suffering and modest dreams of soldiers. They capture the humanity of people, revealing the fragile beauty of life even in the midst of destruction.

They leave an indelible mark. They are a literary testament. Maksym Kryvtsov, one of the most talented Ukrainian poets of his generation, fell for his homeland in January 2024, at the age of 33.

Enriched with his photographs, facsimiles of his poems, and QR codes that allow readers to hear the author’s voice, this collection is a rare testimony, both intimate and universal.

A book like an open wound: about war, about the world, about ourselves—if we dare to look.

The author

Maksym Kryvtsov, known as “Dali,” one of the most talented Ukrainian poets of his generation, was killed by a Russian shell in his trench east of Kupyansk on January 7, 2024. He was 33 years old. A volunteer soldier and poet, a few days before his death he published Poèmes d’une meurtrière, a collection hailed as one of the great Ukrainian texts of the year by the Ukrainian PEN Club. His collection has become a literary testament, now translated into several languages. An exhibition of his photos, accompanied by some of his poems, was held last February in Nantes.

Highlights

This collection is a direct and poetic account of the war in Ukraine, written from the front lines by a poet who fell in battle. A rare book, both intimate and universal, it places him in the tradition of poets who died for their country, such as Charles Péguy and Max Jacob.

Enriched with photographs taken by the author on the front lines, handwritten poems, and QR codes that link to online audio recordings, this collection offers a sensory immersion into the world of war and an immersive reading experience.

All royalties will be donated, in equal parts, to his family and the non-profit organization “Reform,” for educational projects aimed at soldiers, such as the “Soldiers Read” program, which creates libraries in the Ukrainian army.