{"product_id":"the-length-of-days-an-urban-ballad","title":"The Length of Days: An Urban Ballad","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Length of Days: An Urban Ballad\u003c\/i\u003e is set mostly in the composite Donbas city of Z--an uncanny foretelling of what this letter has come to symbolize since February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Several embedded narratives attributed to an alcoholic chemist-turned-massage therapist give insight into the funny, ironic, or tragic lives of people who remained in the occupied Donbas after Russia's initial aggression in 2014. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith elements of magical realism, Volodymyr Rafeyenko's novel combines a wicked sense of humor with political analysis, philosophy, poetry, and moral interrogation. Witty references to popular culture--Ukrainian and European--underline the international and transnational aspects of Ukrainian literature. The novel ends on the hopeful note that even death cannot have the final word: the resilient inhabitants of Z grow in power through reincarnation.","brand":"Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51947332796647,"sku":"9780674291218","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_b3e0d17f-728e-400d-9908-a7c3a3b7fd1b.jpg?v=1775487143","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/the-length-of-days-an-urban-ballad","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}