Den’s newest books continue to conquer the hearts and minds of readers as well as space on bookstore shelves. Lately, Ukrainian MPs have joined the army of our readers, for the Verkhovna Rada bookstore has put on sale newest Den’s publications, including Return to Tsarhorod and the trilogy consisting of “Trap,” or A Case without a Statute of Limitations (published in the subseries “Contemporary History for Dummies”); I, an Eyewitness. Notes from the Occupied Luhansk; and Catastrophe and Triumph. Histories of Ukrainian Heroes.
On this occasion, The Day talked to Yevhenia Pylypivna, the salesclerk of the parliamentary bookstore that has been offering MPs a chance to read some literature for a few terms of the Verkhovna Rada already. “I graduated from the philosophy faculty of Shevchenko University of Kyiv myself, and has always been interested in books on history topics; not content with just looking at annotations of the books I sell, I try to glean the most interesting bits from them,” she shared her thoughts with us. “That is why I like The Power of the Soft Sign to the point of adoration; I did literally ‘swallow’ it in two days after it appeared on the shelves, and then my stories and reviews of the book prompted people who listened to me to buy up all copies of it. I would like to praise other Den’s publications as well, I mean those from ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ and ‘Subversive Literature’ subseries, they are beautifully designed and easy to use, and so were easily sold to MPs and their assistants. I agree with the idea that legislators should read and know the history, be acquainted with Ukrainian political thought.”
Ms. Yevhenia has already looked into Den’s latest books: “Return to Tsarhorod sets forth such interesting facts that even people who know history can learn a lot from it. The book is intellectual reading, but also clear and accessible, it makes people care about its subject matter which is the most important thing.”
Once the new books went on sale, they evoked keen interest among the parliamentary public. A few copies almost immediately found their new owners. For instance, MP Valentyn Didyk bought a copy of Return to Tsarhorod. “I am a big fan of books, love reading and this is probably my greatest joy and weakness,” the MP shared his thoughts with us. “Return to Tsarhorod immediately attracted my attention, because it features highly professional book design and is extremely relevant since it combines truths of the past and the present. Through knowing and understanding history, one can better understand today’s developments. Without knowing these historical links, it is difficult to predict what might happen in the future. However, this latter skill is extremely important for politicians. Return to Tsarhorod is fine text, which displays great literary, artistic, and aesthetic taste. It is a wonderful book.”
Didyk revealed that it was not the first Den’s book to supplement his literature collection. “I own many books from Den’s Library including The Power of the Soft Sign,” the MP said. “You publish very professional works, and their writing style is highly aesthetic. It is such books that should be must-read material for our young people and Ukrainian politicians, because they are fine history studies rather than dry research volumes.”
