# Charlotte Higgins on Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a Time of War

An episode of [Secret Life of Books](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1755803199), 21 Aug 2026, 51 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/679c3267811ecd43a9f19b7a/e/6a826f8ef8e81c4395b18976/media.mp3

Charlotte Higgins talks to Jonty about her new book, Ukrainian Lessons, which recounts her experiences the last four years reporting on the cultural life of a nation at war. Culture is never far from the front-line in time of conflict, but rarely more so than in Ukraine. Part of Putin’s attempts to legitimise the war lies in an age-old argument that Ukraine is simply an extension, or part of, Russia itself. He has personally written essays explaining his view that Ukrainian language and culture is simply part of a Greater Russia story. Not surprisingly, Ukrainians are proving him wrong with the current flourishing of poetry, writing and art that speaks to the uniqueness and separateness of their culture. Charlotte talks about how she went to Ukraine, what she found and why her belief in the power of poetry and art has never been greater. Charlotte is Chief Culture Writer for The Guardian, a classicist and host of Instant Classics podcast. Content warning: as you might expect from an episode about a contemporary war, some of the stories and experiences that Charlotte recounts are confronting. Become a subscriber by signing up at Apple: http://apple.co/slob Or join our Patreon community here: https://www.patreon.com/c/secretlifeofbookspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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