According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the 14th international “Book Arsenal” festival began in Kyiv on Thursday, bringing together over 150 participants from the book market, authors, publishers, artists, and intellectuals from Ukraine and abroad, reports a journalist from the “Culture” department of Interfax-Ukraine.
Over the course of four days, more than 240 events—including discussions, public talks, lectures, readings, workshops, presentations of new books, and meetings with authors—will take place at the Art Arsenal. In addition to the literary program, the organizers have also prepared musical and performance components for the festival.
This year’s artistic component of the “Book Arsenal” features 15 exhibition projects that combine contemporary art, documentary film, archival practices, and reflections on the Ukrainian experience of war.
The focus theme of this year’s festival, “Carry Your Freedom,” is curated by Ukrainian journalist, human rights activist, military serviceman, and former prisoner of war Maksym Butkevych.
Also returning to the festival this year is the “Writer’s Program,” curated by Andriy Lyubka, a Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemember, volunteer, poet, prose writer, and translator.
In an exclusive comment to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetyana Berezhna said that despite the heavy workload associated with her government duties, she continues to read fiction regularly, as she considers it essential for strategic thinking.
“I am absolutely convinced that in order to develop visionary skills and think strategically, we need to read a great deal of both fiction and other literature,” Berezhna said.
According to her, among the books that have made the greatest impression on her recently are “Against Cultural Amnesia” by Vira Ageyeva and the essays of Yuri Shevelov, edited by Yevgen Stasinevich.
The minister also mentioned that she is currently reading children’s books with her five-month-old daughter. Separately, she advised Ukrainians to pay attention to the poetry of Bohdan-Ihor Antonych to support their morale and mental health.
“Book Arsenal” is one of the largest international literary and arts festivals in Eastern Europe, bringing together Ukrainian and foreign authors, publishers, intellectuals, artists, and public figures every year. The festival was founded in 2011.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, “Book Arsenal” became one of the key platforms for discussions on culture, memory, war, and Ukrainian identity.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1171814.html
