The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
$18.95
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$18.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, January 23. Order within 1 hr 24 mins.
Only 12 left in stock (more on the way).
$$18.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$18.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$14.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime! See less
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Monday, January 27. Order within 1 hr 54 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$18.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$18.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Ukraine Diaries: Dispatches from Kiev Paperback – April 1, 2015

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

off. Enter code INSTAPAY10 at checkout. Discount by Amazon. Terms  off. Promo code INSTAPAY10 is saved to your account. Discount by Amazon. Terms  
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$18.95","priceAmount":18.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"QlKNMiqEnX%2BOx9MgyVux19%2Fvatod%2BwTm6SAmowa%2FYUL8agxA5TkgUhW2j0XzJij39mJHdO4PobaQwHn7%2BvD9iIxvYx811sJ3IaCK%2BNkQPFYmT5rNRPR2OlgKi9X5wicmD3nhEJFbUup8bDe77QJauQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$14.99","priceAmount":14.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"QlKNMiqEnX%2BOx9MgyVux19%2Fvatod%2BwTmWCRA1AEKxOd26DYW%2Bnu7AC%2BoBPcfCzzTI7pJJhaamJR%2FTgfzJ7qaEcBjOT2fb%2B4RTCgs5BeApzzYWFwXVOVqacq1t0n%2FNhDIqK55TrUF%2FXYJBI25J%2BXiUT%2FZwOeKJRnMIclceA%2BazQ6aKstxhYJeedzVORUvQDhk","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

An acclaimed novelist offers Ukrainian dispatches from the heart of Kiev

-16°C, sunlight, silence. I drove the children to school, then went to see the revolution. I walked between the tents. Talked with rev­olutionaries. They were weary today. The air was thick with the smell of old campfires.

Ukraine Diaries is acclaimed writer Andrey Kurkov’s first-hand account of the ongoing crisis in his country. From his flat in Kiev, just 500 yards from Independence Square, Kurkov can smell the burning barricades and hear the sounds of grenades and gunshot. Kurkov’s diaries begin on the first day of the pro-European protests in November, and describe the violent clashes in the Maidan, the impeachment of Yanukovcyh, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the separatist uprisings in the east of Ukraine. Going beyond the headlines, they give vivid insight into what it’s like to live through—and try to make sense of—times of intense political unrest.

The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: Ukraine Diaries: Dispatches from Kiev
$18.95
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
Only 12 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$8.23
Get it Jan 31 - Feb 7
In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.
Ships from and sold by PRIME-BOOKS.
+
$15.29
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
Only 10 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrey Kurkov graduated from the Kiev Foreign Languages Institute, and worked for some time as a journalist, did his military service as a prison warder in Odessa, then became a writer of screenplays and author of critically acclaimed and popular novels, including the bestselling Death and the Penguin. Kurkov has long been a respected commentator on Ukraine for the world’s media, notably in the UK, France, Germany, and the U.S.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1846559472
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvill Press (April 1, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781846559471
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846559471
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Andrey Kurkov
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ukrainian author translated into 45 languages. Novels are full of black humour, elements of surrealism, irony and humanism. Most of novels deal with post-Soviet Ukraine, but also with Pre-Soviet and Soviet history. Lives in Kyiv, Ukraine with his British wife Elizabeth and their 3 children. From 2022 learned how to be an IDP and refugee. Back in Kyiv.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
121 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. It provides a thoughtful, balanced account of events in Kyiv, Ukraine during the Euromaidan revolution. The notes at the end provide useful background on Ukraine history and factions. Readers describe the book as a genuine account of life in Kiev during the crisis.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

11 customers mention "Readability"10 positive1 negative

Customers find the book engaging and insightful. They describe it as a thoughtful, balanced account of life in Kiev during the crisis. Readers appreciate the personal and genuine perspective on the ongoing struggle.

"...It does not aspire to be systematic. It is a personal, genuine account of life in Kiev during the crisis. It is history seen by the common man...." Read more

"It's well written and a good book. But it is not about the Maidan. It's about living through it...." Read more

"Very illuminating and personal look at the shocking continuing struggle of the Ukrainian people for independence from Russia." Read more

"Very good; that is, a lot better than our Media's establishment reporting! Men go there for a beautiful and loving wife!!" Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They say it's well-written and provides an inside view of Ukraine during a critical time.

"...It is history seen by the common man. And it is superbly written...." Read more

"...’s writing, so I knew I wanted to read this one, written at such a critical time for Ukraine." Read more

"It's well written and a good book. But it is not about the Maidan. It's about living through it...." Read more

"...Well written and definitely gives you a view from the "inside". Amazing people these Ukrainians! Glory To Ukraine!" Read more

4 customers mention "Ukraine history"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides an inside look at the struggle in Ukraine. They appreciate the notes at the end that provide useful background to the history and factions in the recent past. The book is a personal, genuine account of life in Kiev during the crisis.

"...It does not aspire to be systematic. It is a personal, genuine account of life in Kiev during the crisis. It is history seen by the common man...." Read more

"...The author's style is short and pungent. The notes at the end are useful bakcground to Ukraine history and factions in the recent past that are not..." Read more

"...read, describing the events that took place in Kyiv, Ukraine during the Euromaidan revolution. Highly recommended." Read more

"Inside look at the struggle in Ukraine...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2014
    This was a fun and educational read from a writer who lived a couple blocks from the center of action in the Kiev demonstrations earlier this year. It is in diary form and by a man with strong nationalistic feelings, but it so much better information than you can possibly get from reporters. It if nice to get the feeling that you are actually there. My only regret was it did nit go on a couple of mor months - and maybe that is coming.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2016
    “When nothing in particular happens in the life of a man and his country, the man might believe his existence to be stable and eternal...The man who lives in one of the world's 'hot spots', or simply lives next to an active volcano, has a different view of time.” (loc. 87 Kindle version)

    “Ukraine Diaries” shows the “different view of time”. The time is late 2013 and early 2014. Yanukovich refuses to sign the Association Agreement with the EU. Protestors gather in the Maidan and are beaten. Yanukovich flees. Putin takes over Ukraine and unrest spreads through the Donbas. In the meantime life goes on: Kurkov travels to Lithuania for a conference, hands out literary prizes and takes the family on vacation to Crimea.

    This is not a scholarly work. It does not delve into history. It does not quote figures, documents or reports. It does not aspire to be systematic. It is a personal, genuine account of life in Kiev during the crisis. It is history seen by the common man. And it is superbly written. Look at how Kurkov explains what the protests were trying to achieve “If everyone accepts the rules, the the poor police officer will find himself bound by them as well. If we don't accept them he will maintain the right to take ice creams for his children from the kiosk without paying for them” (loc. 166, Kindle version)

    “Ukraine Diaries” is unique among books on the Ukrainian crisis. I greatly enjoyed it.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2023
    I always enjoy Andrey Kurkov’s writing, so I knew I wanted to read this one, written at such a critical time for Ukraine.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2022
    This book is diary entries from the author's time around end of 2013 and start of 2014 when the Maidan protests against Yanukovich's era and shortly before the Russian invasion of the Crimea. The author's style is short and pungent. The notes at the end are useful bakcground to Ukraine history and factions in the recent past that are not will covered in the news cycle. A dark prelude to what has happened there this year.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2016
    It's well written and a good book. But it is not about the Maidan. It's about living through it. Imagine a cc TV shot of a kitchen while a war rages outside. From that perspective. It is a good book.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
    Very illuminating and personal look at the shocking continuing struggle of the Ukrainian people for independence from Russia.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016
    After having watched the EuroMaidan (Ukraine) live streaming I was wondering what it was like at ground zero. Well written and definitely gives you a view from the "inside". Amazing people these Ukrainians! Glory To Ukraine!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2014
    This is a journalistic treatment of the author's experiences before and during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The author is hardly disinterested or impartial, but he writes as a worldly person who has seen a lot of bad news and doesn't get excited easily. How this will all play out, we have yet to learn.

    The author is a famous writer of mystery novels, very dark, and in a uniquely Ukrainian stylr.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Pete K.
    5.0 out of 5 stars essential reading
    Reviewed in Canada on November 15, 2022
    Read this book if you want to get a feel for contemporary Ukrainian politics. The added bonus is coming to feel you also know the author, an ironic yet big-hearted and fiercely engaged citizen, father, and neighbour.
  • Terry Carr
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2022
    I bought this book after seeing the author interviewed on Hardtalk and listening to his account of the first days of Russia's invasion on R4. This diary pre-dates the current situation and begins 2013/14 giving an interesting account of living in Ukraine at the time of the Maidan protests and the Orange revolution. It also references Russia's annexation of Crimea, all events which foreshadow the full-scale invasion of today. It gave me a basic understanding of the unstable political climate, which eventually led to Zelenskiy's landslide victory and Putin's brutal war on Ukraine. As a personal diary, it also gives an fascinatng insight into the culture and daily lives of Ukranian people.
  • Josep Bonet
    4.0 out of 5 stars Diaries which make history
    Reviewed in Germany on September 1, 2014
    Diaries are not particularly easy to read or worse, interesting to read. But these diaries are exciting because they refer to recent history. So recent that the war is still raging in Ukraine. Kurkov is a great writer and describes his feelings and ideas in a very readable way. Not a major book, but a necessary one to understand present day Ukraine, or at least one side of it.
  • D. Edgar
    5.0 out of 5 stars A denouement of life in Ukraine before and since 2013.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2022
    Kurkov opens the Pandora's Box of life in the Ukraine during the mass protests of 2013. He explains what factions constitute the forces the Kremlin use to cause fear and chaos.
    In his diary account of events nine years past he and for that matter the population generally appear to be living in fear of a Russian invasion.
    The horrific nightmare had yet to unfold.
  • Lost John
    4.0 out of 5 stars Depressing, but valuable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2015
    Andrey Kurkov tells us in the Preface to this book that he has kept a diary for more than 30 years. This 234 page abstract covers just 154 days between 21st November 2013 and 24th April 2014. Kurkov lives within 500 yards of Kiev's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Independence Square, or simply The Maidan, so his diary naturally contains extensive reference to the increasingly violent and destructive actions and reactions centred on the Maidan and surrounding streets during that period.

    Kurkov records that on Sunday 8th December he spent some time in the Maidan and joined in the chanting, calling for the widely-despised Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, to resign. For the most part, though, he skirts the action as he passes between his home, his office and various other points in the city. Nevertheless, he is extremely well-informed and deeply interested at the political level.

    One of his most prescient remarks is, 'This country has never had such a stupid President before, capable of radicalising one of the most tolerant populations in the world!' Not that Kurkov has any admiration either for Victor Yushchenko, the previous President and chief beneficiary of the 2004 Orange Revolution, or for Yulia Timoshenko, the former Prime Minister who, although imprisoned, clung to the hope of succeeding Yanukovich.

    I have so far felt that there is an enduring question about Yanukovich's ultimate departure: - Why did he flee when he did (in the early hours of Saturday 22nd February), when an agreement to leave him in office for a further ten months had just been signed? Kurkov helps me towards an answer.

    We have known for some time that Yanukovich's packing began on Wednesday 19th, and that many of his associates left Kiev on Thursday 20th. So the realisation that all was over evidently came on Wednesday 19th.

    Kurkov reports, 'This night of warfare (Tues 18th - Wed 19th February) has transformed the city centre to ruins.' The Kiev Metro stopped running on Tuesday 18th and was still not running on the 19th. On Tuesday 18th, the Maidanistas set fire to the headquarters of Yanukovich's Party of Regions. The Berkutovsky (thugs used by the government as auxiliary police) invaded the Trades Union building - used by the Maidanistas as a dormitory and a hospital - and set that on fire. The Central Post Office and the Music School were occupied by the Maidanistas on Wednesday 19th. With minute-by-minute rolling headlines reporting events such as those, no wonder if those in power felt their time had come to its end.

    Moreover, it is alleged that on the night of Tuesday 18th Yanukovich telephoned Vladimir Putin but failed to win his support. Putin effectively confirmed that (as early as Thursday 20th) when he said that he gave Yanukovich no advice - and that his earlier offer of a multi-billion dollar loan to Ukraine was now withdrawn.

    So, on Wednesday 19th Yanukovich knew that for him it really was Game Over. He perhaps didn't know that the infiltration of unidentified Russian troops into Crimea was to begin on Thursday 20th, whilst he was still President and active in Kiev, an overlap of timing that Kurkov points out.

    I found the book a depressing read. That is because of the many pointers to the mess that has ensued. Nevertheless, it is a valuable read, and definitely recommended if you want to know more of the background to EuroMaidan and the events that have followed.