“Ukraine Incognita” in Print

It is a digest in book format, put out several days ago by the Fakt Publishers. The imprint came out as a part of the “Library of the newspaper Den’” edited by Larysa Ivshyna, meaning that the book contains the best articles dealing with Ukrainian history, carried by the newspaper over the past five years. Actually, the reader is offered an anthology of historical studies, forming an exciting account of our ancestors’ life dating back several hundred years, from the Scythians to 20th century dramatic events and attainments. The authors are historians, philosophers, experts on culture, journalists, people versed in local history whose names regularly appear in Den’ (Volodymyr Horobets, Vasyl Zubar, Klara Gudzyk, Serhiy Krymsky, Stanislav Kulchytsky, Natalia Malimon, Serhiy Makhun, Volodymyr Panchenko, Ihor Siundiukov, Serhiy Trymbach, Yuri Shapoval, to mention but a few).

It wouldn’t be a gross overstatement to assume that the sections “Ukraine Incognita” and “History and I” are among the newspaper’s calling cards. Evidence of this is found in the editor’s mailbag. Also, Chief Editor Larysa Ivshyna deserves every credit, of course, being the author and the driving force of the whole project. She and the compilers (Volodymyr Panchenko, Serhiy Makhun, and Ihor Siundiukov) meant to present the materials in the book (richly illustrated, by the way) in a manner both entertaining and highly informative, with deep-going analyses relating to some or other historical problems. They did, although, regrettably, a lot had to be left out for want of room (the book contains 81 articles and 400 pages). Working on the project was hard but very interesting, mostly because it was the first such project in Ukraine.

The readers (and others, to be sure) will want to know where they can buy this book. At the editorial office, in the first place (a copy is expected to sell as some 18 hryvnias). Second, the Editors plan to sign contracts with leading bookstores at the capital and elsewhere in Ukraine. For more information welcome to call the Den’: (8-044) 414-6400.

The new publication with such an eloquent title calls for an introduction of sorts, as well as for pondering the eternal problem of history and oneself, specifically:

1. What makes historical knowledge topical for modern man in general and for a Ukrainian in particular?

2. Historia est magistra vitae — history is a teacher of life; but does it teach us anything?

The Day offers monologues by its regular authors, dedicated to the above and other topics.