Stalking the Atomic City
Life Among the Decadent and the Depraved of Chornobyl
“His is a voice that must be heard.” —Patti Smith
“A poetic rush to madness. . . a stunning, original voice as lyrical as it is unnerving."
—Alan Weisman, author of The World Without Us and Countdown
"In the shadow of catastrophe, Markiyan Kamysh writes with all of youth’s wayward lyricism, like a nuclear Kerouac." —Rob Doyle, author of Threshold
A rare portrait of the dystopian reality of Chornobyl, Ukraine, as it was before the Russian occupation of 2022.
Since the nuclear disaster in April 1986, Chornobyl remains a toxic, forbidden wasteland. As with all dangerous places, it attracts a wild assortment of adventurers who feel called to climb over the barbed wire illegally and witness the aftermath for themselves. Breaking the law here is…
Markiyan Kamysh is a Ukrainian writer who, since 2010, has illegally explored the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and represents it in literature. He is the son of a Chornobyl liquidator who died in 2003. His first book, Stalking the Atomic City, was translated into multiple languages. You can also follow Markiyan on Instagram, @markiyankamysh. He lives in Kyiv.
