Zelensky's Visit to the Book Festival
In Kyiv, the XIII International festival «Book Arsenal» took place, attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska.
During the festival, they purchased several books by both Ukrainian and foreign authors for their personal library.
Among the selected titles were «Lyrics from Mariupol Bomb Shelters» by Oksana Stomina, «The War from the Rear» by Andriy Lyubka, «From Father to Son: Conversations on the Risks of Raising Kids» by Franco Nembrini, «Killing a Tyrant: The History of Tyrant Killing from Caesar to Gaddafi» by Aldo Andrea Cassi, and «Battlefield: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East» by Christopher Phillips, among others. This was reported on the official website of the President's Office.
Additionally, as part of the «Books for the Front» initiative, Volodymyr and Olena Zelensky handed over two books to Ukrainian soldiers. The First Lady gifted «Dear Edward» by Ann Napolitano, while the President presented «The Shipmaster» by Yuriy Yanovsky, signing it with: «Guys, take care of yourselves. Victory! Huge thanks and honor.»
Thanks to this initiative, launched by military personnel in 2023, over 30,000 printed books and more than 10,000 QR codes for e-books have already been sent to defenders.
This year, the «Book Arsenal» features 100 large publishing houses and 11 small ones, 6 bookstores, as well as various military and volunteer initiatives. The festival will run until June 1.
In his Facebook post, the President remarked: «Today we visited the XIII 'Book Arsenal.' It speaks volumes about the resilience of Ukrainians and the strength of our culture: despite the full-scale war, the publishing industry is thriving, the world hears our country, and our people are building connections with the world. This is very inspiring. We are glad that such events exist in Ukraine, along with those who create these books. We thank everyone who promotes publishing in Ukraine: authors, publishers, and translators who open the world for Ukrainians and Ukraine to the world through our books. Thank you to all who support Ukrainian culture. This is important.»
