“The Final Episode (a war that lasts 400 years)” is the story of the life of 55-year-old evangelical pastor Grigoriy Motuz from Mariupol—a father of many children, a volunteer, and a military chaplain. At the same time, it is a universal story that reflects the experiences of an entire generation.
With the beginning of a full-scale invasion, the pastor evacuates his family, the families of parishioners, and the orphanage. His volunteer chaplain battalion operates in the “gray” zones along the entire front line, while his sons fight and save people side by side with their father. In one expedition, Grigoriy, blinded by an explosion, gets captured. Chained to the floor in a “Stolypin” carriage, he reflects on his own life: childhood, military in the Soviet army, the fight against drug trafficking for homeless teenagers, the search for his roots, and truth in the haze of Russian propaganda.
“I really don’t understand how a well-known writer found out about me and became interested in the relatively provincial pastoral life,” says Gennadiy Mohnenko in an interview. “Several years ago, Yevgeniy called me and said, ‘I want to write a book about your life.’ It was unexpected for me. I was skeptical because I’m a priest, and he is a non-religious person. But I agreed to meet, and I really liked this person; he was very interesting. He ‘dissected’ me for a long time. And based on my life, he told the story of war, the country, and many other stories. That’s how I became the prototype for the main character.”
“It’s an interesting feeling at 55 to hold and read a book about your childhood, your country, your fate, your sons, and friends. It’s all permeated with war and contemporary events. But for me, it was very heavy reading because many episodes in the book are difficult stories. When I was reading, there was a lump in my throat, many tears, sometimes even hysterics. But I am very satisfied with the result. In my opinion, it turned out to be a good book,” said the pastor.
“The Final Episode (a war that lasts 400 years)” is a story about several months of a full-scale invasion, and at the same time, it’s a journey into the depths of Ukraine’s history, fighting for its existence for 400 years. It’s a family saga about the battle for freedom. A multi-layered novel where the tragic pages of Ukrainian history intertwine with the fate of several generations of the main character, who comes to realize his own Ukrainian identity—a novel of “path and awareness.”
This is Yevheniy Polozhiy’s first book in the last 8 years.
“The Final Episode” is an extensive canvas, the best text I have written. It’s a contemporary adult novel created based on real human stories and archival materials. Even before the full-scale war, I conducted 14 extensive interviews over three years with the prototype of the main character, Pastor Gennadiy Mohnenko. Of course, a completely different book was planned at that time, but the war made its adjustments. Therefore, the last interviews about Mariupol and the work of the volunteer chaplain battalion, along with other stories, considering the time and distances, were recorded over the phone in 2022,” said Yevheniy Polozhiy.
“According to Yevheniy Polozhiy, it’s a family saga about the battle for freedom. And it’s a book about a war that ‘nails you to the floor’ with the frankness and realism of the events described. It’s a book we must read to come out of this war as new people,” noted Yulia Orlova, the CEO of Vivat Publishing.
Eugene Polozhiy is a journalist, editor, and screenwriter. Writing is a dynastic profession for him, as he was born into the family of the renowned science fiction writer Viktor Polozhiy. However, he began his career in journalism, serving as the chief editor for various publications. For over 25 years, he has been heading the editorial office of the Sumy socio-political newspaper “Panorama.” He published his first collection of poems and prose in 1996 and has since written about a dozen books. One of his most well-known works, “Ilovaisk,” was adapted into a film.
