Markiyan Prokhasko, Ukraine
Interviewed by Danielle Hampson

Nonfiction. Publisher: The Old Lion Publishing House

Synopsis

A Dream About Antarctica covers a few stories simultaneously. First of all, this is my personal story of how I made my dream come true and visited the Ukrainian Vernadsky Research Base on the Antarctic Peninsula. I described my adventures in the Drake Passage, in the Southern Ocean, and among dozens of Antarctic islands. You can find stories about penguins, moss, and whales.

At the same time, I have created a story about how humanity was dreaming of finding Terra Incognita Australis. And actually, how people managed to do this, and also to reach the South Pole. It was one of the most exciting manifestations of the human spirit. Besides, the research on how Ukraine managed to get a British base previously called Faraday is included.

The truth is that Ukraine made a great effort back in the USSR period to develop Antarctic infrastructure and science. Nevertheless, Russia took all the property of the former USSR to use it strictly for itself. Antarctica is a specific topic, so everything here is not local but global. Due to this, I have also explained such themes as climate change, Antarctic treaty, astronomy, biology, geophysics, and many more. But I am sure that the reader will not be confused by the variety of topics.

I am a writer with experience in advertising. So I have done my best to write not as a historian or scientist. But as a person who wants to tell the story of Antarctica to my friends. Simple and exciting. I believe that I succeeded because I was there in Antarctica. I saw unforgettable nature and courageous people. Now I want to share the story of Antarctica with you.

Interview

Danielle Hampson: Has Antarctica ever been on your mind? Have you ever had a desire to visit, and if so, wondered how complicated or easy it is to get there? Welcome to “The Authors Show”, I’m Danielle Hampson. And my guest is a Ukrainian writer and journalist. His name is Markiyan Prokhasko. And he has done just that. Then, he wrote a book about it, titled “A Dream About Antarctica”. Welcome to “The Authors Show”, Markiyan.

Markiyan Prokhasko: Hi, nice to meet you. Nice to be with all of you today.

Danielle: Markiyan, in just a couple of sentences, how would you summarize your book?

Markiyan: This is absolute nonfiction, a book about Antarctica, Ukrainian, and other scientists, nature, law, and history.  For example, you can find here a section about the development of communication at the Vernadsky research base, a former British station; how it was 70 years ago, at a time when it was a British base, and how it is today. But this book also includes my personal view, what I have felt in the Drake passage or when I saw Antarctica for the first time. I have tried to do my best to explain to readers what Antarctica really is.

Danielle: Okay. Now, you are using mixed genres in your writing. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Markiyan: First, readers told me that they cannot remember such an interesting mix of genres in other books, not only Ukrainian books, but also, for example, American books too.  In summary, they say it is a mix of reportage, science nonfiction, travel log, and a very personal diary. 

Danielle: And you have photos in there, too, don’t you?

Markiyan: Yes. This book includes 40 colorful photos.

Danielle: Okay, that’s wonderful. Now, who is the main character in your book?

Markiyan: Scientists at the Vernadsky research base always say that people are just visitors in Antarctica. I also had such a feeling, perhaps we will never be at home in that frozen world. So, I would say that the main character of my book is the relationship between humankind and the world of Antarctica.

Danielle: And what geography and timeframe does the text in your book cover?

Markiyan: The main geography in this book is the area around the Vernadsky research base, and also my journey from Lviv in Ukraine through Rome, to Argentina, Cape Horn, and through the Drake Passage to West Antarctica. But I also cover a lot of locations that I did not visit personally. For example, I have a chapter about the South Pole and another one is about the South Pole telescope and astronomy.

My book covers the period of my summer expedition in 2019, but there are a lot of references to past events.  There are also chapters dedicated to the 1820s events when Antarctica was discovered, and there is also, for instance, a story about Scott and Amundsen.

Danielle: Hm. Now, who do you see as the ideal reader of this book?

Markiyan: I have a blog about Antarctica too, and I can say that there are different people among my readers. Among them, there are young and elderly; travelers and home bodies. But all of them are somehow interested in the world. Somebody likes Antarctica, someone likes nature and traveling, and someone likes history and is proud that Ukraine has a research base in Antarctica. There are also people who admire that someone made a dream come true. So, I feel that people are very different, but all of them have some passion. 

Danielle: Right. Now, in researching you, I found one thing that you said that struck me as being quite poetic.  You said that when in Antarctica, the brain goes into safe mode. That, just as rebooting a computer, it will turn off unneeded programs. And you also said that we need to treat the world as if it were our garden. And that if we forget the smell of the wind, the taste of the water, then we may ask the question: why all this?  So, how do you offer the content in your book? Very factual or in a poetic writing.

Markiyan: Thank you for noticing such poetic thoughts in my writing. I believe that such a piece of writing connects us with the world. It connects readers to the real world, to nature. The author can describe Antarctica and use a lot of facts, but when he or she uses simple, little poetic sentences, he or she can make all this real because human imagination makes it real. [The author must only turn it on] So, I’m trying to fill my writing with [poetic writing], which I think will be useful for readers to understand the world of Antarctica.

Danielle:  You did not just write about your adventure. You also conducted some research. Why and how did you go about that research?

Markiyan: Now, when we look at past biologist studies, we can see that today such things can make, for example, some good biologist students. This means that past researchers were very good, but they are in the past. Today, biologists must do something else, much more complicated.  The same thing is with book writing, including nonfiction and journalism. We live in a world where children can watch National Geographic, for example.

They tell us they know about Antarctica and penguins. If I want to add value to my book today, I must tell a story that has not been told before. Due to this, I conducted my research.  I interviewed a lot of Ukrainian scientists. I read a lot of information, scientific articles in Ukrainian and English, and other languages too. I also read about types of ice, and so I want to understand Antarctica from different points of view and tell a story.

Danielle: Most writers have something to say in their writing. What are you trying to say through this book? 

Markiyan: It’s a very nice question. Thank you. Actually, I thought about this a lot. Perhaps the main thing that I want to tell in this book is that the world is beautiful. Nature, people, science, traveling, Antarctica, Africa, Oceania. You can always find something to explore and something to visit.  And it’s very sad, but we can see that there are millions of people who prefer to destroy countries, kill other people, kill animals, and pollute the earth with air strikes and nuclear power plant explosions. So this book, such books will always be useful to tell people that the world is a beautiful place to live, and a very interesting thing to explore. It’s better to do this rather than something bad.

Danielle: Yes, of course. Yes, I totally agree with you. Okay. Would you like to share an excerpt from your book? Could you read something for us?  And I understand, of course, it will be in Ukrainian, but that’s still what I would like you to do.

Markiyan:  Okay. Thank you.

Danielle: Okay. Thank you very much for that, Markiyan. And what benefits at the end of the day will readers receive from reading your book?

Markiyan: One of the first readers, my teacher, founder and head of the School of Journalism at Ukrainian Catholic University, tells me that he sees this book as a personal encyclopedia of Antarctica. I saw only good feedback so far. Perhaps you don’t like history or law very much, but you definitely will find a lot of information about Antarctica and global issues in my book. Besides, I wrote about it all, not as a scientist or a historian. I have experience in marketing, so I understand that modern books must be engaging in the first place.

Danielle: You’re absolutely right. Let’s talk for a second about your publisher. You selected the “Old Lion Publishing House” as your publisher. Why?

Markiyan: First of all, uh, this is a big Ukrainian publishing house that is located in Lviv, where I live, and it’s an interesting publishing house. I was a young writer and I wanted to publish my first book in this publishing house. And it was my fiction book, published in 2018. So, after this experience, I thought it would be a good idea to continue our cooperation. I asked them if they would be interested in a book about Antarctica. They absolutely agreed that it’s a good idea. They also gave me some money for my expedition, and this cooperation was very fruitful because this book was published. I am very happy, and I believe that they are also happy that we did this.

Danielle: That is wonderful. It’s what we call in the US a win-win situation. It’s a win for your publisher and it’s a win for you. Congratulations. Now, Markiyan, obviously, your book is available in your language, Ukrainian.  But is it also available in any other language, or are you looking to expand on that through the sale of foreign rights?

Markiyan: My book was published in the middle of February, just before the war, so yes, it’s available only in Ukrainian so far.  But I will be happy if someone is interested in my book because this is not just about me and Ukrainian scientists. It’s also about, for example, the Polish sailing yacht Selma, which is very famous in Poland.  It’s also about the former British base, Faraday, international science, Antarctica, and global issues. I will try to do my best to be published in other languages too.

Danielle: Is there anything else that you would like readers to know about you or about your book that we did not talk about?

Markiyan: Maybe a quick update that my readers can find in this book.  Also, some benefits. For example, links to my special Antarctica website on the Antarctic domain [.aq] or additional photos available online. Or also for Ukrainian listeners, they can find links to audio series about Antarctica, and perhaps they will translate it into other languages too.

Danielle: And where can all the readers find out more about you and your book? I presume you do have a website.

Markiyan: I have a blog on Facebook, LinkedIn, and my Antarctic website, NoPolarBears.aq. They can also learn more from Old Lion Publishing on their website.

Danielle: Okay. Wonderful Markiyan, thank you so much for spending some time with me today to present your book “A Dream About Antarctica”. Thank you so much, and please remain very safe. 

Markiyan: Thank you.

Danielle: “A Dream About Antarctica” is the title of the book by Ukrainian author Markiyan Prokhasko. Of course, the book is in Ukrainian, and many of you listening will not be able to read it, but think about others in your circle of influence, as some may have Ukrainian ties and would be able to read it in its original language. And I also call on publishing industry professionals who deal with foreign rights to consider “A Dream About Antarctica” for translation. Markiyan can be reached via his website, and that website again is NoPolarBears.aq.

He can also be found on social media, and you will find those links on his website.   Ladies and gentlemen, “The Authors Show” wants to help Ukrainian literature and culture, but we cannot do it alone. So please, give others the opportunity to discover our guests and their work by sharing this interview with your friends, as they just may have Ukrainian ties that you are not aware of.   I’m Danielle Hampson. Thank you for listening. Until next time with another author and another wonderful book.