Sketches from a Secret War

Timothy Snyder's "Sketches from a Secret War" unveils the extraordinary life of Henryk Józewski, a figure aspiring to be a cubist painter in Kyïv whose destiny thrust him into the turbulent heart of 20th-century Eastern European politics. Józewski's journey spans roles as an intelligence operative, a statesman governing interwar Volhynia with a vision of Polish-Ukrainian tolerance, and a relentless underground activist. He fiercely resisted both Nazi and Soviet regimes, continuing his clandestine struggle against Poland's Stalinists until his arrest in 1953. Snyder masterfully utilizes newly accessible archival materials to rescue Józewski from historical obscurity, presenting his story not merely as a compelling personal saga but as a crucial lens through which to understand the foundations of Soviet power and the enduring ideals of resistance. The book meticulously demonstrates how Józewski's inclusive policies in Volhynia were integral to broader Polish strategies against communism, ultimately tracing his forgotten legacy to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine's democratic resurgence in 2004.