Radovan Auer for Ukraine

"THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK ARSENAL FESTIVAL“ 

The visit to the Arsenal Book Festival in Kyiv positively surprised me in many regards. The organization by both the Czech Centre and the hosts was perfect, the event was on a high cultural and social level, tens of thousands of people who came there for books and authors – and not for discounts. And Kyiv? Kyiv is a lively EUROPEAN metropolis where the rich history meets the bustling development. I know that Ukraine has lots of problems and that it needs to overcome many “childhood” diseases of the Russian-Soviet kind but in many regards Kyiv and the Arsenal Book Festival reminded me of our post-Velvet Revolution era. Although it was a wild, even crazy era without any conventions it was also the time of enthusiasm, belief in ideals, pride of our country and trust in our own capabilities. I miss these things a lot right now in the Czech Republic and I am glad that I was able to remind myself of them all in Kyiv. I will definitely come back, after all I have already informed my girlfriend that we won’t be headed to London or Paris for our next trip, but to Kyiv. 

Kyiv 2018