Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals
Ukraine in Histories and Stories
challenge
Foreigners still know very little about Ukraine. How can we tell them more about our past and present?
How does the world see Ukraine? Does it understand our colorful history? Is it ready to hear our collective biography?
Since gaining its independence, Ukraine has witnessed many historic events: The Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, and the ongoing Russian invasion. However, for many foreigners, our country remains a mystery. It is difficult for them to understand the current context in which Ukrainians live and to explore the country’s history and culture.
solution
A book in which famous Ukrainian writers and intellectuals tell the world about Ukraine
Sixteen short essays and interviews have been published as a book, titled “Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals”. It features reflections on the Ukrainian past and present. What injuries keep us from breaking away from the past? What are the hopes that guide us towards the future? What does our collective biography look like?
The book features some of Ukraine’s most recognized intellectuals, including Yuri Andrukovych, Irena Karpa, Yaroslav Hrytsak, Larysa Denysenko, Haska Shyyan, Andrij Bondar. Known to readers all over the world, they explain Ukraine in relatable and understandable ways.
outcome
The book’s presentation in Europe and Ukraine: it is available for free in e-format in Ukrainian and English
Our book was published in four languages and presented in more than 10 European cities
Our #UkraineStories information campaign reached more than 120,000 Facebook and Instagram users, and the book's presentation in European cities brought it even more directly to its readers. Audiences in London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Strasbourg, Warsaw, Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Oder, and Kyiv were among the first to have the opportunity to speak to the authors and receive copies of the book in Ukrainian or English.
In the Netherlands, the book was published by the International School voor Wijsbegeerte. The translators worked for free and the proceeds were pledged to support Ukraine. The Spanish translation was published with the support of European Initiatives for Ukraine. UkraineWorld editor-in-chief Volodymyr Yermolenko and Ukrainian philosopher Vakhtang Kebuladze presented the book in Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga. The Spanish-language version is available on Amazon.
To ensure that as many people as possible read "Ukraine in Histories and Stories", the book was made free of charge and available in two electronic formats: English (PDF, EPUB, and MOBI) and Ukrainian (PDF). The audio version is available on the Everand portal.
As explained in a review in New Eastern Europe, "the book offers a “package of lenses” as all the contributors depict Ukraine from very different angles. This book can serve as a theoretical introduction to Ukraine, which later can be enriched by practical encounters with Ukrainian people, places and stories".
The authors managed to find all the necessary "keys" to each reader’s experience. Of course, the context of the book is close and clear to fans of Ukrainian non-fiction literature.
"I’m currently reading "Ukraine in Histories and Stories" and thinking, why was I deprived for so long of the feeling that you can respect your own country? Why have I, for all my life, been told the history of Ukraine in such a way that I had to love it contrary to these stories? It’s a sort of "I believe because it is absurd" feeling. When you look for crumbs of love in the smallest pieces, in indirect memories, in hints and collect them like "Love is ..." wrappers in a lollipops metal box, you can count them on fingers of one hand and you know all of them by heart," wrote educator Valentina Merzhievskaya on her Facebook.
Readers in Europe and Ukraine have liked the book. Thus, the main goal of the project – to popularize the ideas of leading Ukrainian intellectuals and writers who talk about Ukraine to foreign audiences – has been successfully implemented.
The book was prepared and published with the financial support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation under the project "Understand Ukraine: Popularization of Ukrainian Intellectuals' Voices in the World".