A German publisher has cancelled the planned release of a wartime romance novel about a Ukrainian woman and a Russian soldier after criticism that it risked romanticising Russia’s occupation of Ukraine.
Matthias Slunitschek, head of Molino publishing house, said on Friday that the decision had been taken at the author’s request following a flood of critical comments about Who I Am When You See Me.
The novel was due to be published on November 1. Its story is set in occupied Kherson, where Ukrainian civilian Lyusiya is rescued by a masked Russian soldier after an explosion.
The pair then develop a secret relationship, according to the book’s blurb, which says: “The closer Lyusiya gets to the man behind the mask, the clearer it becomes that love can neither dissolve violence nor guilt.”
Slunitschek said one message questioned whether Ukrainian experiences had been treated sensitively and challenged the publisher’s approach to portraying the war, given the way the novel was being marketed.
The message argued that presenting a Russian soldier as both a rescuer and romantic partner to a Ukrainian civilian risked romanticising “the reality of military occupation, violence and suffering faced by Ukraine’s civilian population”.
Slunitschek said the author had intended to show two people forming a human connection despite their circumstances. “It is actually a novel that promotes humanity and peace and is against the war,” he said.
Author Juna Liebrecht apologised to anyone who felt attacked or hurt, saying she had not intended to cause offence or romanticise the war.
