“I re-read The Crown… all the time”

At a recent meeting of the Book Club of the Institute for Strategic Studies “New Ukraine,” Leonid Kravchuk drew the attention of those present to the book The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom, published by Den last year. A few days later, the first Ukrainian president visited Den/The Day’s editorial office, where he shared his impressions of the book he had read and described how the state should treat Den’s projects.

“I am very impressed with the approaches, assessments, and new ways of presenting such complex historical materials as are contained in the book The Crown, or Heritage of the Rus’ Kingdom,” said Kravchuk. “I will be frank: they taught us differently in the Soviet era. They persuaded all of us that the cradle of ‘fraternal’ peoples was Russia. There was a myth about the existence of an elder brother, a younger brother, and an unspecified brother. According to this concept, Russia was the main driver of history, and all others were at its disposal. The Crown... dispels this myth and proves the correctness of another concept. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian people are now poorly educated in this area. There is a lot that we do not know about ourselves. The Crown... is precisely an educational book. It is definitely entitled to a place on bookshelves, including those of educational institutions. It should be read not only by historians, but also by all Ukrainians. The Crown... has a nationwide significance, since it carries out an educational mission regarding a very important aspect: those who do not know their history cannot be true fighters for independence and will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“I recently spoke at a conference and mentioned The Crown... as a book that should be distributed as broadly as possible. I think that, in particular, we need to hold a roundtable, with participation of the authors of this book, as well as other people who matter in Ukrainian society. Perhaps The Crown... should not only be republished, but also reissued in a more concise form to attract as many readers as possible. This practice exists in the West.

“The government should pay attention to The Crown... and Den’s Library series in general. The education minister has to do everything to get school and college students to read it. I am convinced that this book should be read by the president, the prime minister, ministers, and all members of parliament. They should also remember that there is a document, a trade agreement between Ukraine and Byzantium. This document is 1,180 years old. This is not just a mention, but an official document that proves that our state was already an independent actor then. Trade agreements could only be concluded between full-fledged states based on integrated nations. If we are talking about our identity, then The Crown... presents all the necessary powerful arguments to prove this position. On this occasion, I want to congratulate Larysa Ivshyna, who is the editor-in-chief of Den/The Day, and thank her for this work, which, I believe, will open many people’s eyes. But I want to add that not only The Crown..., but the entire Den’s Library is an example of how critical information should be brought to the attention of Ukrainians and how to correctly place historical emphases. I myself learn a lot from Den’s books, for, although I am an experienced person, I still had my mind shaped in a different information and ideological system. I need it. In particular, I really liked the book ‘The Trap,’ or A Case without a Statute of Limitations. Strengthening our state, shaping new approaches, the European vision, and our inner culture – all these are impossible without studying our past, which is not several decades, but millennia old. Then we will know that even a thousand years ago, the world knew about us, we were respected and we were dealt with. Meanwhile, nothing existed in Muscovy at the time. This does not mean that we have to look down on the Russians, but we must feel our position and our role and place in history. If a person knows this, then they will not let themselves fall below this bar. It is those who do not have the roots, the proper knowledge base that fall down. Knowledge of history is a mainstay not only for the state, but also for identifying oneself as a Ukrainian and a citizen. The Crown... is such a mainstay on which every Ukrainian can rely. This book, despite its fairly large size, includes no less-important materials. All of them are united by the main goal. And I will be frank: The Crown... lies on my desk, and I very often re-read it. This book has really impressed me.”