Eternal memory: Monuments and Memorials of the Holodomor

 In Eternal Memory: Monuments and Memorials of the Holodomor, Wiktoria Kudela-Świątek provides an in-depth examination of “places of memory” associated with the Great Famine of 1932–33 in Ukraine, supplemented by photographs from across the globe that highlight both the uniqueness of individual monuments and their commonalities. The author investigates the history, aesthetics, and symbolism of a wide array of commemorative spaces, including museums, commemorative plaques, and sites directly linked with the victims of the Holodomor (previously unmarked mass graves, for example). The book not only illuminates the range of meanings that communities of memory have invested in these sites but sheds light on the processes by which commemorative practices have evolved and been shared between Ukraine and the diaspora. Drawing upon the concept of “places of memory,” Wiktoria Kudela-Świątek has examined the memorialization of the Holodomor through study of monuments. Denied by the Soviet authorities for over fifty years, the Holodomor long could only be commemorated by the Ukrainian diaspora. Kudela-Świątek weaves the forms of commemoration and the interrelation of scores of monuments in Ukraine and abroad into a comprehensive study of Holodomor commemoration.

Frank E. Sysyn, University of Alberta, Canada

This is an interesting book on an important subject. In her study, Wiktoria KudelaŚwiątek surveys the many monuments and memorials of the Holodomor in Ukraine and abroad, providing essential background details about their emergence over decades and across continents. Richly illustrated, this book is a welcome addition to the scholarly literature on the Holodomor.

Serge Cipko, University of Alberta, Canada

Wiktoria Kudela-Świątek is assistant professor at the Institute of History and Archival Studies at the Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland. She is the author of Miejsca (nie)pamięci. O upamiętnianiu ukraińskiego Wielkiego Głodu 1932-1933 (Cracow, 2014) and W labiryncie znaczeń: pomniki ukraińskiego Wielkiego Głodu 1932-1933 (Cracow, 2020).