A Harvest Truce by Serhiy Zhadan is a tragicomic drama set near the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Brothers Anton and Tolik return to bury their mother. But Russia’s war and the activities of the separatists turn this mundane task into a logistical and ideological challenge. The brothers and other village residents have to overcome isolation, lack of light and water. The only fragile hope for a ceasefire is the so-called harvest truce.
Zhadan skillfully weaves the rhythms of life—birth, death, planting, harvesting—into a reality where war devalues them. What should be sacred becomes insignificant, and the characters of the play have to fight the war’s dehumanizing impact.
And so A Harvest Truce is more than just a family story; it is a mirror that reflects the cost of war and the resilience of those who experience it.
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