The Eternal Calendar.

Vasyl Makhno’s novel “The Eternal Calendar” is a distinctive Ukrainian chronicle, a sweeping family saga in which the stories of several Ukrainian families intertwine, coexist, and confront one another from the 17th century to the present day. The backdrop is world history, in which there has never been a shortage of wars, betrayals, or the eternal thirst for life.

The characters of Vasyl Makhno’s novel embody the traits of different generations, national identities, and mentalities. They withstand time and circumstances, recreate and carry themselves forward, continually affirming an enduring postulate: history does not truly teach — it only tempers.