Zhadan's heroes fight against the darkening of their lives in Ukraine. They are rebels of existence. Against the backdrop of war, they struggle for their love, for a brave, free relationship with each other, and for the one story that everyone will eventually tell about this chaos. "Mesopotamia" is the masterpiece of Serhij Zhadan, a passionate love letter to his homeland. "Zhadan has written a book that is as bittersweet, good-humored, and combative as none have been for a long time. A vibrant monument to the ideal city of Kharkiv, the threatened city, the threatened country. At no moment is he kitschy or folkloric; his characters are far too drunk, naive, self-absorbed, and at times brutal." Volker Weidermann, Der Spiegel.