Éditions Bleu et Jaune has released the French translation of “Poems from the Arrow Loop,” a collection by the late Ukrainian soldier-poet Maksym Kryvtsov, bringing his frontline writings to a francophone audience.
Chytomo reported this.
As noted, the French publishing house Éditions Bleu et Jaune primarily focuses on translations, publishing works by European authors from various countries and languages.
In French, the collection “Poems from the Arrow Loop” was called Poèmes de la brèche (“Poems of the Breakthrough”).
Photo: editionsbleuetjaune.fr
“These poems, written straight from the trenches, strike like shrapnel: they wound, they illuminate, they awaken. They speak of soldiers’ terrible suffering and modest dreams. They capture our shared humanity, revealing the fragile beauty of life even in the heart of destruction. They leave an indelible mark. This is a literary testament.”
“Enriched with photographs, manuscript pages, and QR codes that let readers hear the author’s voice, this book is a rare testimony—at once intimate and universal,” the annotation says.
The translation into French was done by a French translator of Ukrainian origin, Nicole Dziub, who previously worked on the works:
Mariia Matios’ “Almost Never the Other Way Around” (2024),
“The Ukraine” by Artem Chapai (2025),
“Poems from the Arrow Loop” by Maksym Kryvtsov (2025),
“We Were There” by Artur Dron.
Maksym Kryvtsov’s book “Poems from the Arrow Loop” was recognized as one of the best Ukrainian books of 2023 by the Ukrainian PEN.
After the poet’s death, Ukrainians sold out the entire circulation of the collection. The publishing house “Nash Format” announced an additional edition, the proceeds from the sale of which were transferred to the family of Maksym Kryvtsov and to educational projects for the military.
The poet’s poems were also published in collections:
“The Book of Love 2.0. Love and War”,
“Where Home Is: 112 Poems About Love and War”,
“Lullaby of the 21st Century Vol. 1: What Lulls You to Sleep?”,
“Among the Sirens. New Poems of War”.
For reference:
Maksym Kryvtsov, a Ukrainian poet and serviceman in the armed forces, known by the call sign “Dali,” was born in Rivne on January 22, 1990. He died on January 7, 2024, at the age of 33.
The circumstances of Maksym Kryvtsov’s death are unknown. The poet was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, and in 2014, he joined Ukraine’s armed forces.
He worked at the Center for Rehabilitation and Readaptation of Anti-Terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation participants, as well as at Veteran Hub. At the outset of the war, he volunteered with Right Sector and later fought with the Da Vinci Wolves unit.
After the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022, he returned to the front.
In an interview with Chytomo, Kryvtsov said he chose the call sign “Dali” after growing a mustache that he could curl, much like the artist Salvador Dalí.
In October 2023, the publisher Nash Format released his collection “Poems from the Arrow Loop,” which PEN Ukraine named among the best books of 2023.
The band Yurcash has set several of Kryvtsov’s poems to music, including “Panyvna vysota,” “Vin v ZSU,” and “Vona v TRO.” Their track “Zhovtyi scotch” was featured on the soundtrack of the 2020 film “Nashi kotyki.”
He returned to military service at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and, from the front, published his first and only solo collection, “Poems from the Arrow Loop,” which also includes his own photographs.
Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov, a fighter with the 3rd Separate Special Forces Regiment named after Prince Sviatoslav the Brave, was laid to rest in Kyiv on January 11.
In August 2025, Maksym Kryvtsov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, accompanied by the Order of the Gold Star.
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