In Search of Tranquility Amongst the Bookshelves
Curator—Valentyna Sotnykova
A book offers a sense of a comfortable space that we have chosen for ourselves. At a time when the luxury of planning has nearly vanished, and prolonged instability has become, for most of us, a daily routine and the background to the daily rush of life, we still do not give up hope of finding a point of support. It is in this anxiety that we seek islands of relative tranquility and control. These can be new books or longtime favorites from our bookshelves.
Reading helps us bring order to the chaos of both our inner and outer worlds. The rise of non-fiction is linked to the attempt (or perhaps the illusion of such a possibility?) to find a text that can help explain this complicated and uncomfortable world, break it down into components, and understand how they actually work together.
And the more questions arise around us, the more texts appear that seek to answer them: self-help guides, biographical studies of figures from the past and recent history, analytical studies of historical processes, and attempts to draw parallels with the present-day challenges. This list could go on, but instead, all you need to do is look at publishers’ announcements and bookstore shelves. They speak louder than any lengthy list.
Whether consciously or not, we entrust the author with some responsibility for our own tranquillity, relying on their attempt to explain this world to us and to systematise our fragmented knowledge. We realize that we can control at least the moment of choosing one of the spines on our bookshelf. And this gives us a sense of confidence, much like the embrace of a loved one, enfolding us in warmth and seemingly saying, “Everything will be OK.” And we believe it, because if the uncertainty is organized, then perhaps it can be controlled?
Or we reach out to another shelf and discover a world of fiction where we can travel through unknown lands, solve an intricate detective riddle, live through an incredible love story, or grow up together with the protagonists of the text. It’s one of those experiences that help us take a breath, pause the anxiety of our daily lives for a moment, or simply kill time on the way from city A to city N.
Just like the diverse bookshelves we all have, the Main Program of the Book Arsenal Festival will provide a space for reflection on the challenges we face; for sharing memories of those we await and those we have lost; and for expressing gratitude to those who make every new day in Ukraine possible. The program will allow you to hear authors and their texts, join conversations that help uncover yet another essential piece of our common mosaic, and go home with books that may become a point of support for someone else as well.
And in this common search for the right book's spine, in this shared experience, solid ground emerges where the unstable surface has long been trembling.