“Take them, read them, draw correct conclusions”
<i>The Day</i>’s Library expands its presence on Ukraine’s book map
Since recently, The Day’s main publications have also been available in Kherson. Among them Syla miakoho znaka (The Power of the Soft Sign), Extract +200 (in two volumes), Extract 150 (in two volumes), James Mace’s Vashi mertvi vybraly mene (Your Dead Chose Me) and Den i vichnist (Day and Eternity), Ukraine Incognita, the photo almanac Zhyva istoria (Living History), as well as the most recent collection Bronebiina publitsystyka (Armor-Piercing Political Writing) in a box with The Day’s logo. The books can be purchased at 39 Ushakova Avenue, Music School (which houses the Ukrainian Book Center TSUKOR). Despite the problems with rent (The Day wrote about them recently), the only Ukrainian bookstore keeps working and offers the residents of Kherson quality literature and cater for all tastes. Besides, starting January 1, 2013, TSUKOR is the place where you can find recent issues of The Day in Ukrainian.
According to Raisa Voronenko, who volunteers to help TSUKOR promote books, The Day’s Library for Kherson is a virtual “information bomb.” After working as a teacher of the Ukrainian language and literature at one of Kherson schools, Voronenko knows better than many how valuable these books are. She wishes she had had them at hand in the past.
“Now I’m retired, and my usual communication does not extend outside some two dozen people. As a teacher, I could convey the ideas, present in The Day’s books, to hundreds of students,” said Voronenko as she shared her impressions of the bookstore’s new stock. “You can agree or argue with the authors of these materials. But in my opinion, they are the landmarks which are so indispensable for each conscious Ukrainian today, and for others too. Any national who lives in our country today must be knowledgeable about its history and mentality. I think this series will find a grateful reading base in Kherson. We have our regular customers who are eager to know the burning problems of today for Ukraine and what are the nation’s prospects for tomorrow, which way it is going to take, since today it is at the crossroads. Our people need to be taught – because if my generation had huge gaps in our knowledge due to bans on the works of authors like Ivan Bahriany or Oles Samchuk, today’s university teachers can lack knowledge about these writers, or the landmarks in the history of the nation.
“Personally I very much like the unique series “Armor-Piercing Political Writing,” which I now read on a daily basis. I can’t help wondering how we can keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. Everything is already written about it, long ago. Take it, read it, draw correct conclusions. What I particularly resent is that we can’t see a way out in the heritage of our fellow countrymen, which is still so topical for Ukraine. You know, first I was startled when I saw that a pencil went together with these books. But having read several collections of the series I understood that one pencil is not enough to highlight the most important ideas. Now I’m reading Kostomarov’s Dvi ruski narodnosti (Two Rus’ Ethnoses), and I have an impression that it is reflection of what I have always felt, maybe, it runs in my genes.
“The figure and writings of Petro Hryhorenko became a real discovery for me. My father came home crippled after the World War II, so I have a first-hand knowledge of the horrors of the war and of various opinions of it. After reading Hryhorenko, who was a competent strategist, I discovered previously unknown facts of eliminating the Ukrainian military intellectuals and the horrible, maleficent blunders of the Soviet leaders, which resulted in disastrous losses.
“I believe that anyone who will buy a book from The Day’s Library, will only benefit from it. In this series we can find not only texts, but also a brilliant collection of photographs in the Living History photo almanac. Indeed, the history of independent Ukraine is shown step by important step. Our losses, hopes, pride, all is reflected in Ukrainian’s faces, aptly captured by the camera.”
We hope that in today’s hyperinformative space The Day’s publications will become good advisors to the readers of Kherson, and will help them find answers to many burning questions about Ukraine’s history, culture, politics, and public life.
