About the event

Book launch: Ivan Semesiuk, “Serce Apaczy” (translated from Ukrainian by Aleksandra Zińczuk). The event will feature: Ivan Semesiuk (online) – author, Aleksandra Zińczuk – translator, Łukasz Orbitowski – moderator.

About the book “Serce Apaczy”

A volume of poems about love. And also about friendship, loss, and hope, as well as death. This poetry is both lyrical and brutal. It contains “muerte”, a kind of noir, and in a certain sense even a gothic atmosphere. The use of profanity could not be avoided, as the texts are full of honesty and courage. In a way, it may seem pessimistic, although the author’s pessimism is permeated by a heavy optimism. You will receive a dose of black humour. The sun will rise. Or maybe it won’t. Because, after all, “anything can happen” (description by the Ukrainian publisher).

This book was published as part of the Literary Eastern Express project, implemented with the support of the European Union under the Creative Europe programme.

About the participants

Ivan Semesiuk (born in 1979 in Kyiv) – poet, musician, artist, and cultural activist, author of numerous multimedia projects. Graduate of the Taras Shevchenko State Art School and the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (specialization: sculpture). He experiments across various fields of art. Representative of the ironic zhlob-art movement, combining satire, social criticism, and vivid images of contemporary culture. He is the author of the prose books “Szczodennyk ukrajinożera” (“Diary of a Ukrainian-Eater”, 2014), “Ewolucija abo smert! Pryhody pawiana Tomasa” (“Evolution or Death! The Adventures of Thomas the Baboon”, 2015, awarded the Oles Ulianenko Prize, an international award in the field of nonconformist literature), “Farszrutka” (2016), and the collection of song lyrics “Nema czym robyt” (“Nothing to Do With”, 2018). Frontman of the band Pyriatyn and member of the music formation Ukie’z (alternative folk). In his work, the artist often explores themes of Ukrainian identity and social change, combining literature, painting, and music into a coherent and recognizable style.

Aleksandra Zińczuk is a literary scholar, poet, essayist, social anthropologist, and translator. She is a cultural manager, Editor-in-Chief of the “Kultura Enter” magazine, and Managing Editor at the Workshops of Culture Publishing House. For her literary work and publishing initiatives, she has received numerous distinctions, including the Literatura na Świecie Award and the Hryhorii Skovoroda International Literary Prize. For many years, she has been actively involved in creating spaces for intercultural dialogue at the intersection of cultural heritage, history, art, and literature. Since the outbreak of the war, she has been engaged in providing support and assistance to Ukraine.

Łukasz Orbitowski – popular writer and columnist, author of more than 20 books. Twice nominated for the Nike Literary Award, winner of the Paszport Polityki Award (2016) for the novel “Inna dusza”, as well as the Janusz A. Zajdel Award and the Literary Award of the Capital City of Warsaw. Graduate of philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. Enthusiast of metal music.

Details

When: July 4, Saturday, 16:00-17:00
Where: Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 7 – patio
Admission free