«I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal». Understanding the East of Ukraine

At the end of 2016, Oleksandr Mykhed went on a trip to six cities of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, researching the life there, as well as the stories hidden in the archives. However, the most important thing for the author is to hear the voices of local residents. Unearthing layers of history and layering of myths, the writer tells the amazing story of the East, which British and Belgian investors and imperial and Soviet rulers tried to tame. How is one of the oldest turtles in the world connected with the founding of Donetsk? What is the price of each ton of mined coal? And what stories are hidden in the free steppes of the Wild Field?

Oleksandr Mykhed shares unique conversations with famous writers, artists, and historians born in the East: Serhiy Zhadan, Alevtina Kahidze, Ihor Kozlovskyi, Roman Minin, Volodymyr Rafeienko, and Olena Stiazhkina. People who, since the war, help to understand the horror of the new everyday life and understand the many voices of the Ukrainian East.