Perhaps the best way to publicize an extraordinary event, such as the presentation of a serious publication, is to collect like-minded individuals, friends who, all without exception, were directly involved in the birth of the new book. The presentation of a new edition of The Day Library Series, the book Dvi Rusi (incidentally, it is gratifying to note that the new book, so far only days old, has already attracted serious attention on the part of both experts and a broad reading audience, and proved a success at the book forum in Lviv, and is being actively sold at bookstores), according to its concept, belonged with precisely such ‘living’ events. The undertaking was unusual in both form and meaning: on the one hand, an absolutely free and easy conversation took place, not in an office, but on the Dnipro waters, on board a small pleasure boat where the authors of the book, experts, those who had actually created the project together with The Day, were invited; on the other hand, it was not only a form of gratitude to the co-authors, but also a useful conversation with historians, philosophers, and experts on culture recognized in Ukraine and beyond its borders. Among them were Academician Myroslav Popovych, Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; outstanding philosopher Prof. Serhiy Krymsky; People’s Deputy, Academician Mykola Zhulynsky, Director of the National Academy’s Institute of Literature; Prof. Volodymyr Panchenko, First Deputy Rector of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University; Prof. Yury Shapoval, noted political scientist, historian, and publicist, Corresponding Member of the National Academy, and well-known physicist currently living and working in Russia but regularly visiting Ukraine; Vitaly Shelest (son of Petro Shelest who was First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine); Viktor Horobets, Ph.D. in history and head of the Center of Social History of the Institute of History of Ukraine; Prof. Volodymyr Shevchenko; Heorhy Melnychuk, journalist, publicist, and historian; Volodymyr Rychka, history Ph.D.; Taras Chukhlib, Candidate of Science in history; journalists Andriy Matviyenko and Olha Herasymiuk. Incidentally, Olha opened the first book, Ukraine Incognita, with her article “Every Ukrainian Must Visit Chyhyryn.”
The last sunlit days of Indian summer [not all that enjoyable] in stuffy offices, while communicating against the breathtaking Dnipro in the background, to the soft whispering of the river waves and song of a warm breeze, over red wine, could (and did) prove considerably more useful for body, soul, mind, and further joint work. It was meeting of like-minded people with words that might sound good but have a rather general meaning. On that particular occasion all participants in The Day’s book project agreed that true patriotism now is primarily “an ability to ponder most serious things.” Viktor Horobets, scholarly editor of Dvi Rusi, said that the newly accomplished project is an excellent combination of professionalism, scholarly approach, and interesting reading. Academician Mykola Zhulynsky stressed that The Day is the only newspaper in Ukraine capable of discussing serious historical problems in a manner which is interesting but not primitive. And all those interesting and perfectly realistic ideas were conceived during the voyage, and the almost childish joy of watching the unprecedented sight of gray-haired academics, professors, and directors of institutes donning T-shirts with The Day logo! The Day will soon carry a detailed report on this brief but highly enjoyable river voyage.
