Discussion with: Ołeksandr Myched – writer, Andrij Saweneć – translator, Ryszard Kupidura – moderator | Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 7 – patio POL, UKR, PJM

About the Book

Kotek, Kogutek, Szafka (Kitten, Rooster, Caabinet) This fairy-tale story unfolds in Borodianka, a town near Kyiv, during the initial weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It weaves together the lives of Grandma Liza, her granddaughter Sonia, and their remarkable household companions—the Cabinet, the Rooster, and the Kitty. These silent witnesses observe destruction and survival amidst pulsating memories of the past, war traumas, and tenderness found in everyday gestures. It’s a poignant tale about the strength of family bonds, love for one’s homeland, and the fight for survival—of both life and memory.
The story draws inspiration from a true symbol of resilience: a wooden cabinet that miraculously survived the Russian shelling of Borodianka. The author, Oleksandr Mykhed, is a writer, cultural scholar, and soldier who himself lost his home during the shelling of Hostomel. Enhanced by the extraordinary illustrations of Kyiv artist Zhenia Polosina, the book was recognized on the winners’ list of the 6th International NAMI CONCOURS 2023 Illustrated Book Competition.
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About the authors

Ołeksandr Myched (born 1988 in Nizhyn) is a Ukrainian writer, cultural scholar, cultural manager, curator, educator, and translator. He is a member of the Ukrainian PEN Center and holds a doctorate in humanities from Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. The author of ten prose books, his works I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal. Understanding the Ukrainian East (2023) and Codename for Job. Invasion Chronicles (2025) have been published in Poland. (2025). His book The Language of War was named one of the best books of 2024 by The Telegraph. He has curated literary programs at the PinchukArtCentre (2010–2012), GogolFest (2012–2013), and various exhibitions. Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he lived with his family in Hostomel near Kyiv for four years; his home was destroyed by a missile in the invasion’s first week. He currently serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.Zmieszam z węglem twoją krew. Zrozumieć ukraiński wschód

Andrij Saweneć
(born 1977 in Kornyn, Ukraine) — translator and translation scholar. He graduated from the Ivan Franko Zhytomyr State University of Pedagogy and the European College of Polish and Ukrainian Universities. He earned his doctorate at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, where he also taught. Author of the monograph Poetry in Translation: the “Ukrainian” Szymborska (2006) and numerous translation studies articles. His translations into Ukrainian include novels by Ernest Hemingway and Salman Rushdie, as well as three selections of Wisława Szymborska’s poetry. He is the editor and translator of the Polish-Ukrainian poetry anthology Lublin from Afar, Lublin Up Close (2017). His translations into Polish include Jurek Gudz’s poem Barricades on the Cross (2014), a selection of Mykola Riabchuk’s essays Previous Life (2018), and the extended conversation Worochtarium (2019) by Yurii Andrukhovych, Oleksandr Boychenko, and Orest Drul. He is a co-editor of the Wschodni Express publishing series.