Kharkiv-Copenhagen: A Conversation with Ukrainian Writer Serhiy Zhadan

Serhiy Zhadan in conversation on literature and war: Friday 30 October 2026, 15:00–16:30, Copenhagen. Tickets cost 0–50 kr.

On Friday, 30 October, join a conversation between acclaimed Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan and Danish translator and researcher Jon Kyst. The event takes place during Zhadan's visit to Copenhagen for Bogforum 2026.

Serhiy Zhadan is one of Ukraine's most internationally recognized literary voices. In his novels, poetry, and short stories, he writes about life in eastern Ukraine, home and belonging, and experiences of war. He has received the German Book Trade Peace Prize (2022) and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2025), and since 2024 has served in the Khartiia Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard.

Jon Kyst lived in Kyiv and translated Zhadan's Arabesques into Danish as "Jeg slukker lyset som den sidste: Nye fortællinger fra krigen" (published by Jensen & Dalgaard). The book's twelve interconnected stories depict lives shaped by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zhadan and Kyst will discuss the experiences behind the writing, the challenges of literary translation, and how Ukrainian literature reaches Danish readers. The event will also include readings in Ukrainian and Danish, with an opportunity for questions.

📅 Friday, 30 October 2026
⏰ 15:00-16:30
📍 Ukraine House in Denmark, Strandgade 27B, Copenhagen
🗣️ The conversation is in English; readings in Ukrainian and Danish
🎟️ Registration via Billetto

The event is held jointly by Ukraine House in Denmark and the Danish Cultural Institute.