A Nation Dreams of Itself
The Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the world, but this conflict was foreshadowed in Ukrainian and Russian speculative fiction. I talk with several fantasy writers in Ukraine about how they\u2019ve used speculative fiction to break away from Russia\u2019s sphere of influence, and why magic and folklore can be valuable tools to explore and defend their sense of national identity. I also talk with Ukrainian ex-pats in the U.S. about how Russian fantasy and sci-fi has grown increasingly imperialistic in recent years with fantasies of restoring a lost empire. Featuring Maria Galina, Borys Sydiuk, Volodymir Arenev, Svitlana Taratorina, Alex Shvartsman, and Anatoly Belilovsky.\nYou can help donate to organizations resettling refugees like Direct Relief, Mercy Corps, International Medical Corps and Save the Children.\nThis episode is sponsored by Brooklinen. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you\u2019re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices