Intellectual “Medvin”

This year’s “Medvin – Book of the Year” has changed its residence (it moved from the Institute of Physical Education to “KyivExpoPlaza”) and its format (the book fair was combined with the fair of needlework), but it did not change its concept: a book is the best present for Christmas holidays. The publishers’ booths have books for every taste and wallet: from children to popular scientific literature, from travel notes and detectives to fiction and documentary historical prose. According to exhibition participants, all genres are in demand. It is remarkable that Ukrainian readers become interested and more actively buy books of the so-called intellectual segment: historical publicism, memoirs and biographies of famous people, popular scientific exploration, historical essays... The interest to this particular segment is fueled by All-Ukrainian annual rating “Book of the Year,” whose competent jury selects the lists of laureates among the best examples of foreign and Ukrainian humanitarism, historical essays, studies and documents, criticism, study of literature and fiction. The awarding will be held within “Medvin.” This year the new book from The Day’s Library The Power of the Soft Sign, or The Return of the Rus’ Truth got into the contest’s short list; it can be bought among the other publications of The Day’s book series at our stand.

“I think that the popular-scientific segment of historical literature is the one that contributes to attracting the general reader to collective memory and to history. What The Day is doing is an attempt, and a successful attempt, to turn today’s general reader to historical problems in the unpainful form,” said the President of All-Ukrainian annual rating “Book of the Year” Kostiantyn RODYK. In Mr. Kostiantyn’s opinion, “without understanding the past, we cannot understand what is happening today.” “The reason why we still, over 20 years, cannot manage our own country grows from the fact that there was no Nuremberg Trial of communism. And when the books appear that explain it, then people slowly come to understanding. Unfortunately, we don’t have the political will for this yet, and today’s ruling top of Ukraine more likely looks back on the Russian government, which actively promotes the myth of ‘good state USSR.’ The books of the popular-scientific segment, in which some of the best are the books of The Day’s series, are trying to overcome this barrier between the citizen and the historical memory” – concludes Mr. Rodyk.