Literature Around the World: Can It Still Help Humans?

On October 29 at 18:00, the PEN Ukraine Space will host a public talk with European writers and PEN Centres representatives — "Literature Around the World: Can It Still Help Humans?".

During the discussion, we will talk about:
 The role of literature in times of global disaster
 The capacity of literature to help us understand humans better, recover our moral footing, and go beyond our prejudice and limitations
 The capacity of literature to teach us understand — and feel — more deeply

Speakers:
Maja Gudim Burheim (PEN Norway) — journalist and historian specializing in traumatic history and memory, who played a key role in developing the 22 July terror attacks learning centre, served as an advisor in Norwegian Ministries, and currently works as the Head of Communications for PEN Norway.
Laura Mintegi (PEN Basque) — award-winning Basque author and academic with degrees in History and a PhD in Psychology, currently serving as the Director of Language and Literature Didactics at the University of the Basque Country and the President of PEN Basque (a role she has held since its re-establishment in 2004).
Enrique Yeves (PEN Spain) — Spanish journalist and writer, Enrique Yeves has had a long career with TVE, the BBC, and Reuters, served as a special correspondent globally, and held senior communication roles at the United Nations (including FAO and as Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly); he is currently the President of PEN Spain.
Tomica Bajsić i— award-winning Croatian poet, prose writer, graphic artist, and translator, known for his five poetry collections and travel prose, who is a member of the International PEN WIPC Steering Committee and the founder of the Druga priča Art & Poetry publishing house.
Saïd Khatibi (PEN Slovenia) — Slovenian writer and journalist who writes in Arabic, known for his five novels translated into seven languages and his extensive reporting from global conflict zones, including Somalia, Mali, and the Maidan Revolution in Kyiv.
Ira Wells (PEN Canada) — Canadian academic and writer born in 1981, who serves as the Academic Programs Director at Victoria College, University of Toronto, teaches literature, and contributes cultural commentary to numerous publications including The Guardian and The New Republic.
Vincent Engel (PEN Belgium) — Belgian novelist, playwright, and professor of literature at UCLouvain, known for his over 20 published novels, his research focusing on memory and war trauma, and his roles as an editor, former vice-chairman of RTBF, and current head of Edern Publishing.

Moderator: Volodymyr Yermolenko – philosopher, writer, president of PEN Ukraine, chief editor of the UkraineWorld, co-founder and host of the Kult: Podcast.

 The conversation will be held in English without translation.

 Address: PEN Ukraine Space, Kyiv, Lukianivska St., 14a (Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station)

 To attend, please fill in the registration form:
https://forms.gle/my4AVFcG12dUchkV8

Within this event, we support the fundraising for vehicles to meet the needs of the separate squad of the Special Forces Center Omega Wings. Since 2023, the squad has been performing combat missions in the Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
 Link to the jar:
https://send.monobank.ua/jar/35WPNBHHry