“77 — Energy of Life”: Mykhailo Poplavskyi Presented Over 60 Authored Books to Students and Launched an Digital Library

Ahead of his 77th birthday, Ukrainian entrepreneur, producer, and educator Mykhailo Poplavskyi held a large-scale presentation at the Kyiv University of Culture and Arts. As part of the anniversary project “77 — Energy of Life,” he presented students and guests with over 60 authored publications covering virtually all periods of his creative, managerial, and pedagogical activity. Simultaneously, the creation of a digital library was announced: an electronic catalog of all books is now hosted on Mykhailo Poplavskyi’s official website and is available for a wide audience to explore.

Bibliography: From Textbooks to Historical and Publicistic Works

The author's bibliography includes textbooks and teaching aids, historical and publicistic works, encyclopedic and autobiographical editions, as well as books on Ukrainian culture, show business, national projects, leadership, and personal development. Among the landmark works is the “Anthology of Modern Ukrainian Variety Art” (2003; reissued in 2004 and 2009), which compiles creative biographies of performers and musical groups, materials about composers, lyricists, and producers, discographies, and life stories of Ukrainian show business figures. A special place is occupied by the two-volume historical and publicistic work “Encyclopedia of Independence in Documents and Facts”: the first volume covers 1990–2006, and the second covers 2007–2021. The books trace the chronology of independent Ukraine's formation through the prism of the University of Culture's activities, its rector, mass media publications, and video archives.

“National Projects”: Systematization of Three Decades of Initiatives

A separate area of the library consists of large-scale cultural, television, and artistic projects founded, ideologically inspired, and produced by Mykhailo Poplavskyi. In particular, the book “National Projects,” published in 2026, systematizes over three decades of cultural and educational initiatives. Its pages present the history of the All-Ukrainian Children's Contest “Step to the Stars” (since 1997), the television project “Our Song” (since 2004), the show “Country's Chef” (since 2010), the Shevchenko evening “We Are Your Children, Ukraine!” (since 2013), the concert program “Mom, Eternal and Beloved!” (since 2013), the National Music Award “Ukrainian Song of the Year” (since 2016), and other initiatives. For students of creative and media specialties, the publication serves as practical material on the genesis of ideas, producing, scaling cultural initiatives, and building national brands.

Textbooks and Manuals: Theory Combined with Practice

A significant part of the library consists of textbooks and teaching aids created to train future specialists in creative industries. Among them: “Culture Manager” (1993), “ABC of Public Relations” (1997; updated edition 2007), “Show Business Manager” (1999), “Personnel Management” (2000), “Show Business: Theory, History, Practice” (2001), “20 Management Principles, or How to Manage Yourself and People” (2006), “Management. Marketing” (2008), “Image” (2009), “Leadership as a Brand” (2009; reissued 2016), “Hotel and Restaurant Service” (2010, 2011, 2016), and “Culinarology” (2018). The topics cover management, marketing, PR, communications, personnel management, the hospitality industry, and show business, combining theoretical knowledge with the author's practical experience.

“Life in Funk Style” and the Author's Philosophy

Special attention during the presentation was paid to the book “Life in Funk Style” (2023) — a story about the author's life philosophy, his energy, drive, creativity, courage in decision-making, and desire to achieve set goals. The publication reveals various facets of Mykhailo Poplavskyi's personality: from youth and studies to managerial activity, creativity, the creation of national projects, and the organization of large-scale shows. During the meeting, Mykhailo Poplavskyi emphasized that the main project of his life became the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, noting the special role of education, intellect, and innovation in the modern world, where the ability to think, analyze, creatively approach problem-solving, and adapt to new challenges is especially important. “More than sixty books is not just a number, but the history of my life at the turn of the millennium. These are years of searches, doubts, discoveries, and victories,” the author stated.