Kateryna Kosheleva
Nearly four months since Russia’s initial invasion, the war in Ukraine rages on. It looks like it may continue for quite some time. There’s a real danger that people around the world who are not directly involved in the conflict will become gradually numb to the tragedy of this war. For those in the US there are mass shootings and other travesties closer to home; for others there are major events such as elections, not to mention the global economy and the ebb and flow of the pandemic.
But we mustn’t forget. This is the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. According to some sources, a combatant dies every five minutes in the Donbas region. Millions of people have been displaced, and many more are living with the Sword of Damocles of Russian missiles and mortar rounds hanging over them. Many around the world face the threat of starvation because Ukrainian grain can’t currently be exported. This is a massive tragedy that has already affected countless lives and will continue to do so even if, by some miracle, the war were to end tomorrow. As such, all of us should do what we can. And since we’re a science fiction magazine, it only stands to reason that one of the things we should and can do is to help share the works of Ukrainian authors with Anglophone readers.
To that end, we’re featuring a couple of translations from authors who are new to most readers in the US, but who are household names back home. H. L. Oldie is a pen name shared by a pair of friends who began writing fantasy stories back in the early 1990s. They happened to live near to each other (in two wings of the same building, I believe), in Kharkiv. Since the war started, they and their families had to flee to Lviv where they’re based at the moment. Likewise, noted editor and author Volodymyr Arenev had to leave his Kyiv apartment for the relative safety of a small village. This is the current reality facing the authors whose works you’re going to be reading in this issue.
Our wonderful translators Julia Meitov Hersey and Max Hrabrov have donated their time so that the entire payment for the story would go to the authors. (We normally split the payment 50/50 between the author and translator, unless they have a different pre-existing arrangement.)
Our cover art is by Kateryna Kosheleva, who insisted her work be free for us to use as are her other works drawn in support of Ukraine. In lieu of payment we’ll be making a donation on her behalf to some of our favorite charities and organizations supporting Ukraine.
Of course, there are other stories included as well. We have entries from Greece and China, stories that I feel complement the tone of the issue. There’s another notable distinction about our fifteenth issue: every single story is a translation. As most of you undoubtedly know, we usually offer a mix of translations and stories written in English by authors around the world, as well as maybe throwing in the occasional US or UK story. While I always prefer translations, they’re difficult to source in sufficient quantities to the point where we could fill the issues without sacrificing quality. In this case, however, I feel we were able to accomplish that goal. And so it’s our first all-translation issue, and hopefully not the last.
Please consider supporting our efforts on Patreon or via subscribing to the magazine directly. And if you are able, please also directly support the people of Ukraine.
We’re also launching a Kickstarter campaign for Unidentified Funny Objects 9 very soon. Please click here to be notified when the campaign launches (or view it once it is live.)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufopublishing/unidentified-funny-objects-9
