“Book Country” postponed to April, but Kyiv is not left without literature: three days of free meetups, concerts and awards in bookstores

The sixth edition of the “Book Country” (Knyzhna Kraina) festival, originally planned for September 17–20 on the territory of the Kyiv State Farm Show (VDNH) in Kyiv, has been postponed to April 2027 due to intensified Russian shelling. However, the organizers did not leave readers without a cultural event: on September 18 the capital launched the “Days of Book Country” (Dni Knyzhnoyi Krainy) — a series of meetups, presentations, discussions and intimate concerts that, over three days (September 18, 19 and 20), take place in various bookstores across Kyiv. Admission to all events is free, making the programme accessible to a wide audience. As Wave RBC.UA reports, citing the festival’s official website, the programme covers literature, music, the blogosphere and the publishing market.

Literary discussions: from the unreliable narrator to Ukrainian fantasy

The central event of the first day was a meetup timed to the premiere of the film “Verity,” based on Colleen Hoover’s novel. Participants discussed the psychology of the characters, the phenomenon of the unreliable narrator and the fine line between victim and manipulator. Guests were shown exclusive materials related to the adaptation, and a giveaway of gifts was held. A separate block of the programme was devoted to spooky stories: horror fans were treated to a mountain performance and a discussion of Mona Awad’s novels “Rabbit” and “We Love You, Rabbit.” Writer Seraphima Belaya and literary scholar Bohdana Romantsova held a conversation about friendship, obsession, creativity and the blurred boundary between reality and delusion.

A separate discussion was devoted to contemporary Ukrainian fantasy and science fiction — from magical worlds to alternative realities and futuristic scenarios. The discussion featured Oleksandra Cherepan, Serhiy Pyltai, Yaroslav Lynder, Anastasiia Hetmanska and Iulia Syromolot. The programme also includes a presentation of Sofiia Yablonska’s travelogue “From the Land of Rhododendron and Opium” about 1930s China, presented by Ilona Zamotsna and cultural blogger Katerynka Aleko, while the book by Artem Chapai and musician Nitsa Urodlivo, “T-shchastia,” became a springboard for a conversation about loneliness, fears and the search for happiness in an era of change.

Music and performances: from Brovchenko to “Dead Rooster”

The first day’s evening concluded with an intimate concert by Tetyana Honcharova, who performed songs by Mykola Brovchenko — the composer behind tracks for Tina Karol, Viktor Pavylik, Kozak System, Zlata Ognivych and other well-known artists. Between tracks, Brovchenko explained how melodies and lyrics come to life and why some compositions stay with us for years. A separate public conversation was devoted to Serhiy Kuzmyskyi and the phenomenon of the band “Brothers Gadyukyns”: Lesia Antypenko, host of Radio “Promin,” and “Dead Rooster” frontman Yuriy Roketskyi discussed 1990s Ukrainian rock, the Halytsian flavour and the band’s influence on the music scene. Roketskyi also spoke about the new life of his band and work on the book “Vsyo chotko!”

Awards, the blogosphere and new formats

As part of the “Days of Book Country,” the most discussed translated book published in Ukraine in 2025–2026 is being determined. Among the contenders are Robert Jackson Bennett’s “The Bitter Cup,” Joe Abercrombie’s “The Devils,” Khaled Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” Rebecca Quan’s “Katabasis” and Abraham Vergis’s “The Water Covenant.” The programme also features a book-blogger award, at which YouTubers Yancy and Atmosfernytsia explained to readers what the Japanese light-novel (ranobe) format is, presenting the Nasha Idea edition “My Happy Marriage.”

Additional sessions cover a wide range of topics: representatives of Ukrainian publishers discuss classic and contemporary gothic and the popularity of dark stories; illustrator Anna Haiunova and screenwriter Mariia Pakholchenko present a new Ukrainian comic about a city where drones have become part of everyday life; meteorologist Nataliia Didenko presents the book “Notes of a Forecaster,” telling about the formation of weather and atmospheric phenomena. Mykhailo Brynykh’s cult book returns to the scene — the author once again explains Ukrainian and world classics through humour, sarcasm and literary parody. The programme closes with an analysis of the phenomenon of Ruby Dixon’s “Barbarians of a Frozen Planet” series: writer and translator Mariia Margulis, together with book blogger Valeriia Pavlenko, discuss how monster-romance conquered BookTok and why the genre is gaining momentum.