BookNight with Andrey Kurkov

Sophie Kayes — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:29:28 +0000

The idea behind members’ BookNights is to have a thoroughly good time, encourage reading and discussion of reading, and to end the night happier and wiser than when it began. For more information about membership and the other benefits on offer, please contact membership coordinator, Sophie Kayes.

For February’s members’ BookNight we are pleased to welcome acclaimed Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, who will present his recently published book Ukrainian Diaries over an intimate dinner with Frontline Club members.

Kurkov’s diaries portray the ongoing crisis in his homeland which began on the first day of the pro-European protests in November 2013. This first-hand account describes the violent clashes in the Maidan Square, the impeachment of the former president Viktor Yanukovcyh, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the separatist uprisings in the east of Ukraine.

Guests will be expected to have read the book, ready and willing to contribute to the discussion. This will not be a standard format Q&A but an in-depth discussion, taking the conversation beyond the headlines in an attempt to make sense of the turbulent times that have gripped Eastern Europe over the last year.

The format for the night will be as tried and tested: drinks from 7:00 PM, dinner at 7:30 PM. We will get to know one another over starters before the introduction of the evening’s guest author. Andrey will then make his presentation and open the floor to discussion.

The evening will be hosted by Frontline Club director, Pranvera Smith and a founding member and senior correspondent at The Guardian & The Observer, Ed Vulliamy.

Menu £25 per person excluding drinks

Starters
Smoked Mackerel fillet with beetroot & horseradish cream
Pork belly salad with caramelised apple & dandelion
Pea & watercress soup
****
Main Courses
Roast rump of Norfolk Lamb with courgette, mash & black olive jus
Wild sea trout with linguine & lobster bisque
Pumpkin & chickpea tagine with couscous & minted yogurt
****
Desserts
Raspberry & blackcurrant parfait
Dark chocolate & salted caramel tart with creme fraiche
Lemon posset with shortbread

Ukraine: From Democracy to Chaos

Flora Carmichael — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:56:13 +0000

By Jim Treadway

After a riveting portrait of Ukrainian politics in the documentary Ukraine: From Democracy to Chaos, director Jill Emery engaged in a lengthy conversation with Orysia Lutsevych researcher of civil society and democratisation in Ukraine and Georgia at the Russia and Eurasia Programme of Chatham House; and Neil Pattie, former PR adviser to the party of the Ukrainian opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Emery chose to focus on Ukraine after working on a previous film about Russia. The Putin System, inspired in her a particular affection for Moscow’s southwestern neighbors. Ukrainians, she said, seemed, "different," "fun," "open-hearted," "open-minded," and "believing."

The documentary features poignant interviews that range from everyday people to the country’s top political players. Lutsevych relished the light that Emery’s film shined on her country:

"There are not many films about Ukraine," she said, "It’s an unknown country."

Ukraine received greatest attention, perhaps, during its Orange Revolution of 2004-5 when Presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko survived an assassination attempt by poison. With Tymoshenko at his side, he framed his victory in the election at the country’s moment of change toward democracy, independence, and fairness. He was wildly persuasive, but as Pattie regretted:

"History will judge Yuschenko most harshly [as] a huge disappointment."

"His speeches were still as brilliant," an analyst recounted in Emery’s film, "but his actions dwindled to nothing."

Oligarchs who fled the country in fear have since returned, their power now multiplying as the economy has been handed over to their monpolies. Under current President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine has devolved, in the words of one commentator in the film, to an increasing "Putinization," in which secret services increasingly penetrate society:

"That is the main danger of Ukraine," Lutsevych said, "if we don’t have rule of law."

Nonetheless, Ukrainians themselves seemed the most optimistic. An interviewee in the film emphasized that only through the greatest sufferings can people ultimately shine the brightest.

Lusevych called Ukraine’s suffering today "painful" but added, "maybe this is a process of purification."

Emery found the young Ukrainians’ political engagement to be exceptional:

"They all know about politics [Compared to British youth who seem to know less about politics]. They all have great English […] in Ukraine, they all know about it. It’s incredible!"

While Pattie argued for sanctions on Western perks for Ukraine’s oligarchs, such as places for their children at elite universities, a member of the audience shook his head fiercely:

"That hasn’t worked in Belarus!" He added, "democratization can only happen by Ukrainians."

Lutsevych agreed. Ukrainians have to learn that democracy is about more than elections, she said. It’s about civil society, which Ukrainians have to take and build themselves. "It won’t just be given to them."

She also asked for an end to Western intrusion in Ukraine’s affairs, but wanted badly to see more cross-cultural interaction, through joint university programs and similar types of organizational cooperation. For both the West and Ukraine, she emphasized, "That’s the best investment you can do!"

Viktor Yanukovych – Frontline Club

BookNight with Andrey Kurkov

Ukraine: From Democracy to Chaos