Zero. Szczepan Twardoch

“Zero” by Szczepan Twardoch is a book about our war, written in the language of war. A tiny bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, dirt, cold, a dugout that is actually a pitiful hole in the ground, massive shelling, the air, full of drones. And in the midst of all this is the main character, a forty-three-year-old Polish historian with the call sign “Horse,” and his brothers-in-arms, Ukrainian marines. But in fact, the main character of the novel is the war itself. Here, at “zero,” on a piece of land cut off from the whole world, which cannot be given to the enemy and cannot be held, brotherhood and courage take on a new meaning, rationality gives way to intuition, faith, responsibility for every movement and every word. This is not a book that can be admired from afar. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down until you finish it - just as you don't have the right to choose the reality you live in. The author doesn't offer the reader the usual comfort, understanding or redemption. He offers the brutal truth, nothing but the truth, in which, however, there is a place for light and hope. In 2025, "Zero" was recognized as the best Polish novel of the year, and this is a completely fair award.