A Free Man in Captivity: Ihor Kozlovskyi’s book presented at the 13th International Book Arsenal Festival

The event took place on May 31 within PEN Ukraine’s special program The Cardiogram of Translation.

The monologue book including Ihor Kozlovskyi’s interviews and lectures from different years was first presented by his colleagues and students at the Book Arsenal. This book is a form of dedication, gratitude and love for the man of a big heart and profound wisdom.

The list of the presentation participants included Tetyana Teren, cultural manager and member of PEN Ukraine’s Executive Board, Anna Gruver, writer, translator, and editor of the book, Oleksandra Matviichuk, human rights advocate and head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, and Kostiantyn Sigov, director of the NaUKMA Centre for European Humanitarian Research and Dukh-i-Litera Publishing House.

The idea of the book came from one of Ihor Kozlovskyi’s last interviews prepared in 2023 for the National Flag Day of Ukraine. At the presentation, Anna Gruver, the editor of the book, told that she had first considered this work exhausting, but in the end, it empowered her.

"I collected different fragments to make an integral text of them. By doing this, I wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a conversation with Ihor Kozlovskyi which his every interlocutor, lecture attendee or student could relate to. I wanted to recreate his human speech addressed to us," Anna Gruver said.

The book includes fragments of materials published in the Ukrainian media, yet it is not a monologue compiled from different interviews. It is rather a dialogue, live conversation with a reader. It is a chance to talk about what’s important in life, to find answers to your own questions and get inspired by Ihor Kozlovskyi’s wise precept.

Tetyana Teren, member of PEN Ukraine’s Executive Board and initiator of the book, remembered Kozlovskyi as a person who was always ready to share his strength, wisdom and support with many.

"I wanted to preserve his wisdom and continue our dialogue. This is how I came up with the idea of this book. Yet Ihor Kozlovskyi left many materials that were never published. His students collect and keep all of them. Therefore, I believe that his legacy is yet to get to the audience in a form of numerous books," she pointed out.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, human rights advocate and head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, said that in her career, she had seen few people who would not remain envenomed by hate after surviving captivity.

"He would talk about his own experience of captivity in a manner that left his lecture attendees terror-stricken by tortures, injustice, and sadism, but also uplifted by the idea that life is a value and love must inspire us to fight for this life, for our country, its people and territories that are yet to be liberated. I think that for Ihor Kozlovskyi, teaching us how to keep love in our hearts under circumstances that violate love as such, was part of his mission," said Oleksandra Matviichuk.

Kostiantyn Sigov, director of the NaUKMA Centre for European Humanitarian Research, considered Ihor Kozlovskyi a unique philosopher among his European colleagues. In his opinion, Kozlovskyi had turned his own existence into practical philosophy, which few thinkers managed to achieve since the times of Socrates.

"When talking to him, everyone had a sense that he lived what he believed in. Courage and joy were his modus vivendi. Even in times of his worst visitations in Donetsk, he considered books crutches to help him walk the walk. This is the reason why I want us to read this book and draw sustenance for moving forward mentally and breathing properly from it," said Kostiantyn Sigov.

Additional information:

To purchase Ihor Kozlovskyi’s book A Free Man in Captivity in Ukrainian language, please follow the link on The Old Lion Publishing House website or address the offline bookstores.

The presentation of the book took place within PEN Ukraine’s special program The Cardiogram of Translation.

The Book Arsenal is an international event organized by the Mystetskyi Arsenal. The festival has been held annually since 2011, and it became one of the most impactful literary and art events in Eastern Europe. In 2019, it was recognized as the World Best Literary Festival. The mission of the festival is to create the kinds of interactions between people, communities, and institutions that could enhance the individuals’ and societies’ capacities by connecting aesthetic experiences with intellectual involvement in the book context.