Stary Lev Publishing House will republish "Daddy's Book" by Volodymyr Vakulenko, killed in Izium

The Stary Lev ["Old Lion"] Publishing House is republishing the collection of children's poems "Daddy's Book" by the writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, who was killed in the Kharkiv region by the Russians. 

All profits from the upcoming publication will be given to the family of Volodymyr Vakulenko, his parents and son Vitalik, the publishing house reports on Facebook.

"The death of Volodymyr Vakulenko is an unspeakable loss for all of us. The Stary Lev Publishing House sincerely sympathises with the family and all of Volodymyr's loved ones. We believe that those responsible for his death will be punished.

It is important that Volodymyr's creative legacy lives on, so Stary Lev is republishing Volodymyr Vakulenko's collection of children's poems "Daddy's Book", first published in 2014 and illustrated by Natalka Haida," the message reads.

"Until the last moment, I held onto a thread of hope that Volodymyr was alive.

We have been wanting to republish his ‘Daddy's Book’ for a long time, but we hoped that Volodya would be alive and would sign the contract for republishing himself," says Maryana Savka, a writer and chief editor of the publishing house.

Maryana Savka spoke on the phone with Volodymyr's mother Olena - they have agreed that the book would be published as soon as possible.

"At least in this way, we want to support the Vakulenko family and, above all, [his son] Vitalik, who no longer has his father, who loved him more than anything, but his father's poems, dedicated to him, will remain," says the chief editor.

By way of reminder, the writer, translator and public figure Volodymyr Vakulenko from the village of Kapitolivka was killed by the Russian invaders after the capture of the Izium region.

Volodymyr's parents searched for him for six months, and after liberation, the man's body was found in one of the graves at a mass burial site in Izium. The police said that the Russians shot the children's writer with a Makarov pistol.

Vakulenko has a son on the autism spectrum and elderly parents. Cultural figures urged to donate funds to help the deceased author’s family.

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