
Sophia Andrukhovych © Mykhailo Krupiievsky
Sofia Andrukhovych [Ukraine]
Born in 1982 in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, Sofia Andrukhovych is an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and translator. Her most recent novel, Amadoka (2020), published by Old Lion Publishing House, is an ambitious narrative interweaving love, war, and the erased histories of Eastern Europe. The novel was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature and solidified her reputation as a leading voice in contemporary Ukrainian literature.
Sofia debuted with Milena’s Summer (2002), followed by Salmon (2007), which delved into women’s lives and relationships. Her 2014 novel Felix Austria, whose English translation was published in 2024, brought her widespread recognition, earning the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year award. The novel, set against the backdrop of a small Austro-Hungarian town in western Galicia around 1900, draws equally on fantasy and realism and tells of the painful symbiosis between two women who, for fateful reasons, have grown up together without being siblings. Into this unequal relationship enters – alongside many other finely drawn secondary characters – the titular Felix, a mythical-looking contortionist who can squeeze himself into any niche and soon causes great disorder. The novel was later adapted into the feature film Viddana (2020). Its English translation is set to be published by the Harvard Library of Ukrainian Literature in January 2025.
Beyond her fiction, Sofia is a prolific translator, having rendered works by Virginia Woolf, Truman Capote, and others into Ukrainian. She also writes essays that examine contemporary cultural and literary trends, contributing to Ukraine’s intellectual discourse. A regular participant in international literary festivals, Sofia Andrukhovych continues to engage readers with her lyrical storytelling and profound explorations of Ukrainian identity in a rapidly changing world.
In March 2021, she received the Women in Arts Award in literature.