On Sunday 16 August in Lviv, a large-scale book swap called “Book Square” will take place, organised by the Lviv Municipal Library. The main events will be held in the square in front of the Ivan Franko monument.
At 16:00 there will be a stage performance-polyphony “Echoes / Відлуння”, created to give voice to Ukrainian writers whose lives were cut short or broken by the war. The project was conceived by writer and veteran Olena Herasymiuk. Together with poet and veteran Pavlo Matiusha, they combined their own texts with excerpts from works by Ukrainian writers who have been killed or gone missing.
The performance will feature fragments of works by ten authors: Veronika Kozhushko, Kateryna Rohovyk, Hlib Babich, Illia Chernilevskyi, Ihor Mysyak, Maksym Kryvtsov, Borys Humeniuk, Viktoria Amelina, Mykola Leonovych and Volodymyr Vakulenko. The organisers stress that this will be more than just a reading: it is a polyphony of memory, when several voices sound at once, echoing those who are no longer with us, but whose words continue to live.
Entry to the performance and to all events of “Book Square” is free.
The book swap will begin at 12:00 in the square in front of the Ivan Franko monument (1 Universytetska Street). Throughout the day visitors can bring their own books and exchange them for other publications.
The “Book Square” programme also includes several themed events:
- 12:30 — presentation of the photo book “Invisible Shackles” by Anna Sikorska. In this documentary work the author explores the inner world and experiences of soldiers, prisoners of war, veterans, as well as participants in actions in support of the missing and captives. The discussion will be moderated by journalist and activist Alevtyna Shvetsova.
- 14:00 — Skovoremix. The event will present remixes of the album SKOVORODANCE by Serhiy Zhadan and Yuriy Gurzhy, in which philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda’s ideas about happiness, virtue, the self and God are rendered in a contemporary musical sound.
- 19:00 — concert by BanduraGirl | Full Band. Performing will be Anastasia Voitiuk, who combines the contemporary and traditional bandura with elements of world music, jazz, indie and electronica. This time BanduraGirl will appear with a full line-up together with bassist Artem Bemba and drummer Bibi Mukomela.
- 20:00 — screening of the documentary “Fortress Mariupol. Orest”. The film is part of a cycle based on video calls to soldiers who were surrounded by the Russian army in Mariupol at the Azovstal plant. The main protagonist is Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi, a former signalman and now head of the press office of the Azov Regiment in Mariupol, who from the start of the full-scale invasion documented events in the city and at Azovstal and was subsequently taken prisoner by Russia.
After the screening there will be an online discussion with director Yuliia Hontaruk and Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi, moderated by Olha Pilishchuk.
During the book swap there will be a separate area for children with workshops and various activities for young readers.
As part of the event, visitors will be able to view two exhibitions: the “Lys Mykyta” display from the House of Franko, dedicated to the Ivan Franko Year, and the “Wall of Memory” from the “Unfinished” project.
All “Book Square” events are free of charge for visitors, and the organisers provide more detailed information on the terms of the book swap and programme updates on their online platforms.