On 15 February I will be reading aloud the whole of Serhiy Zhadan's novel 'The Orphanage' in an English translation by Reilly Costigan-Humes and Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler (2017, tr. 2021, Yale University Press: A Margellos World Republic of Letters Book). The reading will start at 9:30 am and I'm expecting it to take about 9 hours. The reading will be livestreamed and if you're local you can drop in. (Note: strong language and adult themes, over-18s only.)

Please sponsor my readathon! In association with Cambridge4Ukraine, I am raising money for the Hospitallers, a voluntary organization of paramedics who are saving lives in Ukraine right now.

The picture shows the delivery of duffle bags and portable power stations to paramedics. Medical kit and medicines continue to be needed in Ukraine urgently. My reading will be dedicated to Марія-Христина Двойник, (Mariia-Khrystyna Dvoinyk) call sign "Alpaca," the most recent Hospitaller to be killed, on 13 Nov 2024, whilst tending the wounded.

Sehiy Zhadan is a poet, novelist, musician, social activist and soldier. His most recent collection of poems is 'How Fire Descends'. His novels include 'Depeche Mode', and 'Mesopotamia'.

'The Orphanage' tells the story of Pasha and his three-day journey to bring home his young nephew, Sasha, from a ruined orphanage in an occupied Donbas town. The novel confronts the degrading realities of life in wartime, the difficulty of maintaining your moral bearings in a world of violence, and how small acts of kindness and responsibility can redeem even those who feel themselves most worthless.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.