Artem Chapeye

Artem Chapeye is a prominent Ukrainian writer, translator, and now also a serviceman. Born in Kolomyia in Western Ukraine and based in Kyiv, he is well-known for his creative nonfiction, novels, and his decision to voluntarily enlist in the Armed Forces of Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion. Five-time finalist for the BBC Ukraine Book of the Year Award, his books have been translated in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, among other languages. Chapeye’s most translated books include: The Ukraine, Ordinary People Don’t Carry Machine Guns, and The Weathering. First-ever Ukrainian whose fiction was published by the New Yorker, his books in translation were also noted among the best by critics of Washington Post (US), The Guardian (UK), Le Monde (France), Il Post (Italy), De Standaard (Belgium), etc. Despite holding strong anti-authoritarian left-leaning and pacifist beliefs, Chapeye voluntarily enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in March 2022, shortly after evacuating his family to safety. Chapeye continues to serve as of 2026, balancing his military duties with his writing, which has included essays and reportage for major international publications like The New Yorker, Die Zeit, and Al Jazeera. He documented his psychological transition and experiences as a civilian-turned-soldier in his raw, acclaimed non-fiction book Ordinary People Don’t Carry Machine Guns, and then in his latest psy-fi novel T-Happiness.