Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Dmytro Dovgan.

“Moisei Fishbein’s poems speak to a universal sorrow and grief—one that seems inescapable. The poems are particularly poignant when today many, worldwide, cannot believe the level of violence human beings are still capable of carrying out. In this, poetry has no borders.”

Six Poems by Moisei Fishbein, translated by John Hennessy & Ostap Kin
A Conversation with Translator Ostap Kin—Moisei Fishbein: Diversity & Freedom


The tenth installment of our “Literature and Democracy” series was curated by NER international correspondent Ellen Hinsey. This quarterly column presents writers’ responses to the threats to democracy around the world, beginning with a focus on Eastern Europe.