The Ostroh Academy, which celebrated its 440th anniversary on October 4 at the Kyivan Cave Monastery National Historical and Cultural Reserve, has decided to present a gift to itself. And it is not only the fresh issues of Den, but also a new book, My Sister Sofia... All the more so that Petro KRALIUK, Doctor of Philosophy, First Pro-Rector of the National University of Ostroh Academy, is the author of several articles in this publication. “It is very good that we have this book. It shows us the state-formation experience of Bulgaria,” Mr. Kraliuk says. “I think our politicians and other participants in state-formation could also turn many moments in this book to advantage and use this experience to the benefit of Ukraine.”
“The first contact with the book shows that it is very interesting, especially because it comprises very many materials from previously unknown archival sources,” says Iryna HAIUK, a student at the Ostroh Academy’s Liberal Arts School. “I deeply respect the people who worked on this information. I think it is titanic work, and I am very grateful to Larysa Ivshyna for willingness to contribute to the development of society. It is an integral part of Den’s philosophy.”
“Every article impresses with its topicality. As a journalist and an academic, I particularly liked Yuliana Lavrysh’s publication,” adds Oleksii KOSTIUCHENKO, Candidate of Sciences (Psychology), senior lecturer at the Ostroh Academy’s Department of Journalism. “She writes about the eternal interdenominational problem that emerges from time to time. And the book has all the ‘encoded’ answers. My Sister Sofia... and all the other Den’s Library books help crack these ‘codes’ (if you attentively read, for example, articles by Klara Gudzyk).”
The university presented itself a really good gift to mark its anniversary, didn’t it? Follow suit!
The Day continues to publish the commentaries of contributors and readers on our new book. Today, it is the view of a well-known academic, Dmytro Stepovyk.
We remind you that the book My Sister Sofia... and Den’s other publications can be bought in the Ye chain of bookstores throughout Ukraine, in the House of the Book (Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia), Book Buff (Sumy, Konotop), Book Land (Kharkiv) chains, as well as in a number of Lviv bookstores, in Bookstore-Cafe (Odesa), Second-Hand Books (Ivano-Frankivsk), Books (Uzhhorod), and Education (Nizhyn). Or you can just order our books in the online store on our newspaper’s website day.kyiv.ua/uk/library and by the sales department’s phone (044) 303 96 23.
“IN THE FORCE FIELD OF DIVINE WISDOM”
Dmytro STEPOVYK, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Art History:
“It does not need to be proved that Den belongs to Western-style democratically oriented periodicals. It is quite obvious to the permanent readers of this popular Ukrainian and Ukrainian-language newspaper. One of the indications of the newspaper’s up-to-date level is the fact that the editorial board with Ms. Larysa Ivshyna at the head tries to annually publish a book of Den’s Library series. I liked very much the collections The Power of the Soft Sign (2011), Return to Tsarhorod (2015), and the latest one, My Sister Sofia... (2016). These books are unusual in being oriented to the Middle Ages, moreover, the Byzantine Middle Ages, and one might ask why a modern-day sociopolitical daily is delving into the ancient times which very few are interested in. But the intrigue is that, turning to the country from which we, Ukrainians, adopted the Eastern-rite Christian faith (Orthodoxy) and, at the same time, the most perfect, at the time, foundations of civilization, Den’s talented and hardworking editors and contributors (I’d like to single out, along with Ms. Ivshyna, Ihor Siundiukov, Anna Motoziuk, Roman Gryvinskyi, and others) give this seemingly ‘uninteresting antiquity’ a most contemporary interpretation. This topical interpretation of antiquity is aimed against the black cloud of lies that is moving towards the civilized world out of the Kremlin’s hole from the present-day shortish Nebuchadnezzar. This cloud claims that the ‘Russian World’ is a global phenomenon, that the ‘third Rome’ established itself in a city whose name is translated from a Finno-Ugric dialect as ‘swamp,’ and that this ‘Swamp,’ not Kyiv, adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire and, therefore, ‘Swamp’ is the successor of Tsarhorod-Constantinople.
“In the abovementioned books, Den debunks skillfully and calmly this an many other historical absurdities which ‘Swamp’ has assumed as a basis of its vociferous Goebbels-style propaganda in order to make its own and other brains believe that a bloated drunk empire, which is in reality a backward third-rate country, almost descends from Adam and Eve and must therefore dominate the world.
“In this context, Den’s latest book, My Sister Sofia..., is another striking demonstration that Bulgaria (this book is devoted to it) was, is, and will be Ukraine’s true Slavic friend in terms of civilization – from the days our states were formed to this day and the future. About 40 articles grouped in four chapters display a radiant line of Ukrainian-Bulgarian ties. The authors – academics, political journalists, diplomats, university professors – describe competently and interestingly how “Sophianism,” i.e. Divine Wisdom, made its way from St. Sophia of Constantinople to St. Sophia of Ohrid and St. Sophia of Bulgaria (the ancient name of the capital, Serdica, eventually gave way to Sofia) and further on to our Dnieperside land and blossomed with the roses of Wisdom in St. Sophia of Kyiv, St. Sophia of Polotsk, and St. Sophia of Novgorod. The book My Sister Sofia... is a precious gift to Den’s readers and all Ukrainians by force of its truthful and talented word.”
