“Ukrainians have never accepted censorship. They have always wanted to say and write what they think. That is why almost all Ukrainian writers and poets in the 1920s and 1930s were shot by Soviet authorities… If Russia succeeds, we will have a new generation of executed writers and politicians, philosophers and philologists."

How should one fight for freedom of speech and facts in a war of propaganda? What can literature and art contribute in dark times? And when does the situation require the author to resort to other tools and weapons than literature?

Andrey Kurkov is one of Ukraine's most prominent writers, with nearly 30 publications for adults and children under his belt, including the novels Death and the Penguin and Friends of the Dead. He has been translated into more than 30 languages.Kurkov is the leader of PEN Ukraine, and has been strongly committed to the Russian invasion and to Ukraine's independence and freedom of expression. In this lecture, Kurkov addresses the situation for Ukrainian writers and journalists in Ukraine and provides an insight into Ukrainian history.

All ticket proceeds from this talk went to PEN Ukraine.

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