The 10th International “Book Arsenal” Festival in Kyiv officially begun yesterday. Twice postponed due to the pandemic, it finally takes place in-person.
At the invitation of the Book Institute acting in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Kyiv, the festival will be attended by Tomasz Grzywaczewski, who will promote the Ukrainian translation of his reporter’s book Granice marzeń. O państwach nieuznawanych (“The Borders of Dreams. On Unrecognised States”, translated into Ukrainian by Natalia Tkaczyk).
In addition to the meeting with Grzywaczewski, the Polish Institute in Kyiv prepared three other meetings: “John Paul II and his relationship with Ukraine (on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Pope’s visit to Ukraine), “Lem’s Six Books”, an event in celebration of the centenary of Stanislaw Lem’s birth, and a presentation of Dmytr Antoniuk’s book ‘Roman Catholic Monasteries in Ukraine’.
More information can be found on the website of the Kyiv Institute, and below, we provide details of the meeting with the author of the book The Borders of Dreams.
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26 June | 13:30 – 14:15 | Cafe Europa
Routes of (to) unrecognised countries. A discussion about Tomasz Grzywaczewski’s book “The Borders of Dreams. On Unrecognised States”.
From Donbass through Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia to the Republic of Artsakh. The inhabitants of post-Soviet states that have not been recognised for more than a quarter of a century are the victims of great power politics. Tomasz Grzywaczewski set out on a journey through these ghost republics. He described historical processes and great politics. When he left for the Republic of Artsakh in 2015, he never imagined that just a year later another conflict would erupt there. Being on the frontline near Donetsk in the winter of 2015, he did not suspect that he was watching the first act of a long-dormant war. Instead, he has seen how everyday life goes on in the shadow of constant conflict. This book is the personal stories of those who, a quarter of a century after the fall of the Soviet empire, dream of normality, of having passports that will allow them to travel freely, of a currency that has some value, and of teams competing in championships and the Olympics on an equal footing to others – under their own colours. And above all, they dream of peace.
Participants: Tomasz Grzywaczewski, Ołena Szeremet, Inha Kejwan.
Partners: Knyhy Publishing House – ХХІ, the Book Institute.
