The Lviv BookForum, one of the most prominent literary events in Ukraine, took place in 2023 from 4 to 8 October. The theme of this year's forum: "Census of the Future" - a discussion of life after Ukraine's victory, happiness after the war, and the cultural space after Russian expansion.

The festival organisers have prepared 150 events for visitors, including traditional panel discussions, visits from literary guests, a book fair and the most anticipated event - the Night of Poetry, Life agency reports .

The main events took place in the Powder Tower and other central locations, such as the Dzyga Art Centre, the Lviv Regional Library for Children, and the Lviv Regional Library for Youth. There were 30 events on the discussion programme available both offline and online - in Ukrainian on the BookForum website and in English on the platform of digital partner Hay Festival (UK).

The book fair, which took place from 6 to 8 October, brought together 50 publishers and presented two collective stands: "Comics and Books about the Russian-Ukrainian War. Its new location was Na Valakh Square, next to the Powder Tower.

A separate Children's Programme included book presentations, workshops, quests and games aimed at younger readers.

The Night of Poetry and Music event featured performances by well-known writers and musicians, such as: Svetlana Povalyaeva, Yaryna Chornoguz, Pavlo Vyshebaba, Ostap Slyvynsky, Galina Kruk, Ekaterina Mikhalitsyna, and Elena Huseynova. The musical part was presented by the bands Pyrіg i Batih and Landschaft with the participation of Hryhorii Semenchuk and Ulrike Almuth Sandig (Germany).

Here are some of the most interesting events of the Lviv Book Forum that you should know about:

Discussion: War for Beginners.

64-year-old Bosnian writer Ozren Kebo, author of Sarajevo for Beginners, shared his experience of war during the siege of Sarajevo with Ukrainian writer and translator Kateryna Kalytko, who is responsible for the translation of his work.

Discussion: War as a collapse of civilisations: will there be happiness after war?

Panelists such as: Vakhtang Kebuladze, Anne Applebaum, Tatiana Ogarkova, Slavenka Drakulic and Maksym Yakovlev, discussed topics related to losses, recovery and the impact of war on society. The discussion included a variety of views from philosophers, historians and literary critics.

Presentation of the book "Siege. A novel about Mariupol" by Andrea Nicastro

Andrea Nicastro, a war correspondent and author of the book Siege. A Novel about Mariupol, spoke about the events in Ukraine in 2022. The book allows for a deeper understanding of human transformation during the war and provokes reflections on the nature of humanity.

Creative meeting with writer Vasyl Shklyar

Ukrainian writer Vasyl Shklyar, author of historical novels, met with readers, spoke about his works and answered questions from the audience.

Colonial discourse in Russian literature: how we (mis)understand the "Russian soul"

Participants such as6 Eva Thompson, Oksana Zabuzhko, Elif Batuman, Paata Shamugia, and Charlotte Higgins explored the colonial discourse in Russian literature and discussed the role of Ukraine in rethinking Russian literature through a postcolonial lens.

Presentation of Serhiy Plokhiy's book "The Russian-Ukrainian War"

American historian and professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University Sergiy Plohiy presented his new book at BookForum. In it, he analyses Russia's full-scale invasion, the unification of the West against the backdrop of this war, and the movement towards Russia's complete isolation. The historian looks at the consequences of the war for Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the world.

Discussion: "The global consequences of Russia's ecocide in Ukraine: why Ukraine's victory will contribute to the fight against climate change"

French-British lawyer Philippe Sands, Ukrainian literary critic and cultural scholar Tamara Gundorova, American writer Rebecca Solnit, and Ukrainian doctoral student and cultural researcher Sasha Dovzhyk discussed the consequences of the ecocide in Ukraine, focusing on the environmental impact of Russian aggression and the duration of this impact.

Discussion: Did Ukrainian Soviet literature exist? The non-canonical canon, classics and songs about Stalin with Vira Ageieva and Mariana Hryniak

Ukrainian literary critic Vira Ageieva and author of the TV project Ukrainian History X Mariana Hirniak discussed Ukrainian literature during the Soviet era. The discussion covered the question of the identity of the Ukrainian Soviet writer and an attempt to examine texts through the prism of modernity.

Discussion: Women, war and justice: in memory of Viktoriia Amelina

Ukrainian writers and public figures Tetyana Teren, Larysa Denysenko, human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk, and British journalist Christina Lamb discussed the role of Ukrainian women in the struggle for justice and their vision of Ukraine's future.

War through the eyes of a British journalist. A conversation about the book Invasion with Luke Harding

British journalist and foreign correspondent of The Guardian Luke Harding presented his documentary book Invasion and shared his impressions of the events in Ukraine that he observed during the full-scale Russian invasion.