The Ukrainian–Polish bilingual edition of Emergency Light by poet Halyna Kruk has been published as part of the In the Face of War series of the Library of Ukrainian Poetry. The Polish translations were prepared by Bohdan Zadura. The project has been implemented by the Pogranicze Foundation.
As noted in the book’s description, the author “does not shy away from difficult topics, but presents them with a sensitivity that allows the reader to safely immerse themselves in reflection. This is poetry that soothes, inspires and compels one to reflect on what is truly important”.
The author employs direct, austere language, free from unnecessary embellishment, which strengthens the emotional impact of her work. Halyna Kruk often eschews traditional metaphors in favour of concrete imagery and an almost journalistic portrayal of reality.
Halyna Kruk is the author of several poetry collections and has participated in numerous Ukrainian and international literary festivals worldwide, as well as in the audiovisual poetry projects Sintezia (in collaboration with Lithuanian artists), SWIЖЕ (in collaboration with Swedish artists), Songs of the Country OS (in collaboration with Yurko Izdryk and the group Kub), and Coexistence (in collaboration with O. Khoroshko and R. Bardun). Her works have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Bohdan Zadura is a translator of Ukrainian literature into Polish, as well as a writer and literary critic. He is the author of twenty-five poetry collections and more than a dozen volumes of essays and prose. He was the long-standing editor of the quarterly Akcent and has served as editor-in-chief of the monthly Twórczość since 2004. He was awarded the Drahomán Prize in 2021 for his contribution to translating Ukrainian literature into world languages.