Anne Applebaum presented her book “Red Famine” in Kyiv

20 November 2017

In November 2017, the Polish-American journalist, writer, historian, Pulitzer Prize–winner Anne Applebaum presented her book on the Holodomor in Ukraine “Red Famine. Stalin’s War on Ukraine” in Kyiv, reports Radio Svoboda.

 

“The book explains the Soviet policy towards Ukraine. The foundation of the Holodomor becomes clear, as well as the fact that for Stalin Ukraine was an existential problem. It was not the same as with other republics, like Tajikistan or Armenia, this was a special problem for Stalin. He understood that the rejection of communism could affect Moscow, which almost happened in 1918. He was afraid. This is what I wanted to convey in the title, that the book is more than about 1932”, – said the author.

 

According to her, the translation of the book into Ukrainian is planned, and possibly, there will be the Russian version.

 

Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine” prompted a lively discussion among Holodomor researchers. Historians drew attention to the inaccuracy in the data provided by the author of the book, the lack of understanding of the processes taking place in the Ukrainian SSR in the 1930’s, and the peculiar treatment of the term “genocide” in relation to the Holodomor.