Повінь is a work of narrative non-fiction by Yevhen Lyr. It is a documentary-fictional journey through the Kherson steppes, based on the testimonies of people who survived the Russian occupation and the aftermath of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant's destruction.
At the center of the story is the Clocksmith, who earns a living repairing clocks and other mechanisms. He arrives in Kherson in search of a place for his workshop. In the city, he meets a soldier with the call sign Texas, who evacuated people by boat under enemy fire; the volunteer Oleh, who never got the chance to become a priest and evacuated people along the Road of Life, and later, after the Flood, evacuated people across the water from their flooded homes as well. The Clocksmith also hears the story of Anna, who crossed into enemy territory to find her children, torn from her arms — and eventually returned home.
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Повінь is a work of narrative non-fiction by Yevhen Lyr. It is a documentary-fictional journey through the Kherson steppes, based on the testimonies of people who survived the Russian occupation and the aftermath of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant’s destruction.
At the center of the story is the Clocksmith, who earns a living repairing clocks and other mechanisms. He arrives in Kherson in search of a place for his workshop. In the city, he meets a soldier with the call sign Texas, who evacuated people by boat under enemy fire; the volunteer Oleh, who never got the chance to become a priest and evacuated people along the Road of Life, and later, after the Flood, evacuated people across the water from their flooded homes as well. The Clocksmith also hears the story of Anna, who crossed into enemy territory to find her children, torn from her arms — and eventually returned home.
Through living testimonies, Повінь constructs an image of collective trauma and connects the horrors of the current Russian aggression with the tragedies of the past. Among the witnesses are elderly residents who were forced to leave their homes and now face evacuation once again. Despite its tragic context, the book depicts the beauty of southern Ukraine and emphasises the importance of preserving its culture — as well as the memory of what the Russians destroyed, such as the unique wall paintings by local artist Polina Raiko.
By combining real testimonies with fictional narrative, Yevhen Lyr presents a story of Ukrainian resilience and the willingness to help one another, while also reminding us of the importance of documenting Russian war crimes and amplifying Ukrainian voices that the world might otherwise fail to notice. The book was first published in English and is now available in Ukrainian.
About the author
Yevhen Lyr is a Ukrainian writer, translator, volunteer, and serviceman, born in Melitopol in 1995. He is a co-founder of the Nedopysani project, dedicated to preserving the memory of literary figures who were killed as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He is also a co-founder of Tvoia Pidpilna Humanitarka, an educational YouTube channel and popular science publishing house.
After Russian forces destroyed the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Yevhen arrived in Kherson as part of a volunteer rescue team. He currently serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Повінь is not the only book by Yevhen Lyr whose events unfold in southern Ukraine. He is also known for his mystical novel Stepovyi Boh (The God of Steppes).
