Daryna Gladun

Daryna Gladun is a Ukrainian poet, translator, artist, and researcher from Bucha (born in Khmelnytskyi). She is the author of five poetry collections (in Ukrainian): «Рубати дерево» [To Chop the tree] (2017), the winner of Smoloskyp Literary Prize and Oles Honchar International Ukrainian-German Literary Prize; «Із тіні красивих червоних хлопчиків» [From the shadow of handsome red boys] (2020), named one of the best poetry books of 2020 by PEN Ukraine; «Радіо «Війна» [Radio "War"] (2022), translated into Polish by Janusz Radwański, and into Montenegrin by Anđela Radovanović; into German by Angela Huber, «Війна не почнеться завтра» [The war doesn't start tomorrow] (2023), translated into Swedish by Mikael Nydahl. Co-author with Lesyk Panasiuk of the poetry collection «Портрет сонця в бомбосховищі» [Portrait of the sun in the bomb shelter] (2023), translated into Polish by Aneta Kamińska. Co-author of children's books about prominent Ukrainian women «Це теж зробила вона» [She also made it] (2018). Her poems and short stories have been translated into dozens of languages and published in numerous Ukrainian and International magazines and anthologies.

In 2023-2024, Daryna Gladun has been working on her sixth poetry collection, ‘Ukrainian Beauty’ (the first one written in English).

Gladun translates contemporary literature from different languages. She is the translator and co-translator of a book by Valzhyna Mort, «Епідемія Троянд» [Epidemic of Roses] (2019), two anthologies of Belarusian literature, and selected works of Louise Glück, Morelle Smith and Mirmehdi Ahaohlu. Co-translator of a libretto Limbus-Limbo by Patrick Hahn for an exhibition «Корисні копалини» [Subsoil assets] (2021). Daryna co-translated a play, ‘I’m Fine,’ that debuted in North America in February 2024.

Her major scientific interests lie in contemporary Ukrainian literature and poetry performance. She has published dozens of articles in various journals and participated in scientific conferences in Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the USA.

Daryna Gladun is a curator of Performance School at Creative Youth Seminar (since 2017) and a participant in Performance Studies International (since 2020). She is the author of a wide range of solo and group performances. Daryna conducted lectures and workshops on performance, translation, and erasure/blackout poetry and organized literary events for prominent Ukrainian institutions and festivals.

Gladun is a laureate of numerous literary contests, a recipient of fellowships from the President of Ukraine, International Writers’ and Translators’ House, House of Europe, Staromiejski House of Culture, Potsdam University, Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), Leslie Center for Humanities at Dartmouth College. She participates in various international literary and art residences, festivals, and art projects in China, Bangladesh, the USA, Canada, Israel, Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, France, and Poland.​

Gladun’s poetry has been set to music and used in various plays, poetry performances, and art exhibitions worldwide. Czech film director Filip Remunda made a short documentary about Daryna Gladun for his series on contemporary Ukrainian poets ‘Vojna Jedna Báseň.’