December 2, 2024
TORONTO, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, LONDON, KYIV – Yaroslav Trofimov has won the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for his book Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence (Penguin Press). The winner was announced at the Peterson Literary Fund’s awards gala held in the Guildhall of the historic Old Mill Toronto on November 30, 2024.
The winner is awarded $25,000 and the book’s publisher receives $5,000.
The Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction is a biennial international prize that recognizes the best books, written in English or Ukrainian, that promote a better understanding of Ukraine-related topics relevant to a global audience.
Our Enemies Will Vanish was one of six books shortlisted for this year’s Peterson Literary Prize. Shortlisted finalists each receive $5,000.
In his book, author Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign-affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, gives a riveting account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the heroism of the Ukrainian resistance.
Trofimov spent months at the heart of the conflict, tracing the war’s key moments—from the battle for Kyiv to the grueling battles with the Wagner Group over Bakhmut. The story of the epic bravery of the Ukrainian people is also deeply personal for the author, who grew up in Kyiv, where his family has lived for generations.
The selection of this year’s literary-prize winner and shortlist were made by members of the jury comprised of Canadian political scientist and jury chair Lisa Shymko, returning jurors Nadia Gereliouk, author and political scientist Alexander Motyl, literary scholar Marko Robert Stech, as well as British-born journalist Askold Krushelnycky.
According to Lisa Shymko, chair of the Peterson Literary Fund jury, “Trofimov’s book is exceptional” because it transports the reader from the corridors of power to the gritty trenches of the frontline.” Our Enemies Will Vanish is a powerful account of Ukraine’s fight for survival and its refusal to surrender, which Shymko says impressed jurors with its “meticulous detail from both the human and geopolitical context.”
About the Peterson Literary Fund:
The Peterson Literary Fund was established by Canadian philanthropist Stanley Peterson, whose dream was to create a literary fund with Ukrainian roots and a global reach. The fund operates under the auspices of the Toronto-based BCU Foundation. The fund encourages publications that confront disinformation and dismantle Russian colonial narratives. In addition to its cornerstone literary prize, the fund offers translated book awards as well as grant programs for writers, translators, and publishers.
