Ukraine’s largest book festival Lviv BookForum broadcasts free to the world, 11-13 September, through a renewed digital partnership with Hay Festival Global.
Over three days, 12 artists from around the world take part in hybrid conversations with Ukrainian writers co-curated with Hay Festival.
· British journalist and author of Prisoners of Geography Tim Marshall joins journalist Volodymyr Biehlov on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
· Albanian academic Lea Ypi discusses family history and memory with columnist Oksana Forostyna
· Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and literary critic Bogdana Romantsova focus on questions of memory, belonging and displacement
· Julian Barnes explores his literary works with writer Oleksandr Mykhed
· Guardian’s chief literary critic Charlotte Higgins talks to journalist Sasha Dovzhyk about the role of culture in preserving a sense of identity
· French writer Mathias Énard discusses his most recent novel The Deserters with literary critic Bogdana Romantsova
On Wednesday 9 September an event at London’s Conduit Club launches the global programme with a trio of acclaimed writers – Ukrainian poet and servicewoman Yaryna Chornohuz; Nigerian poet Inua Ellams and historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk – talk to journalist Misha Glenny in an evening of fiction, poetry and reflections on the responsibility of literature, streamed free online.
In person events in Ukraine feature Danish author Janne Teller, The Guardian’s chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins and British journalist Colin Freeman.
In addition, the #ReadForUkraine campaign returns with a host of surprise guests sharing Ukrainian poetry and shorts online from 1 September onwards.
Explore the global programme, register for online streams, and book tickets to the London event now here.
This is the 33rd edition of Lviv BookForum and fifth year of partnership with Hay Festival, aiming to create a civic space for a free and tolerant exchange of ideas between writers and readers around the world.
In the fifth year of the Russian full-scale invasion, Lviv BookForum continues to take place in person, offering an essential platform for Ukrainians to share their experiences and connect over a shared love of reading.
Director of Lviv BookForum Olha Movchan said:
"Reading, for Ukrainians right now, is a relatively accessible pleasure – and a way to switch off from permanent stress. But it's more than that. It's also a way to live through the terrifying experience of war together with texts and authors, without hiding from our feelings, without distancing ourselves, finding people who are our own. We thank our dear partners at Hay Festival Global for the opportunity to be heard, and for giving Ukrainian intellectuals, thinkers, and creators the chance to speak to the world, to feel support, and to feel our shared strength.”
Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said:
“As an international charity, we reach millions of people every year through our one-of-a-
kind Festivals, Forums, programmes, and digital platforms. This meaningful partnership with Lviv Book Forum helps amplify Ukrainian storytellers on an international stage. We can champion their writing and help support an open platform for free expression. Join us free online.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, four hybrid editions of Lviv BookForum have taken place in partnership with Hay Festival, featuring guests including Nobel Prize for Literature winner Abdulrazak Gurnah; Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood; anthropologist Yuval Noah Harari; authors Victoria Amelina (killed by a Russian missile), Samar Yazbek, Jonathan Littell and Liuba Tsybulska; lawyers and activists Larysa Denysenko and Philippe Sands; poets Kateryna Kalytko and Ostap Slyvynsky; philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko; and many more.
Hay Festival, one of the world’s leading cultural charities, was founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987, providing audiences with dynamic platforms to come together to share ideas, different perspectives and provoke conversations that can create a better world.
The continued partnership is the latest chapter of the Festival’s global projects, forging creative connections around the world with year-round events and partnerships.