De Vrijheidslezing #8: Andrey Kurkov

Well-known fiction writer Kurkov decided to publish his diaries which cover the start of the Maidan protests in 2012 to the current ‘hybrid’ war that has caused a political, humanitarian and international diplomatic crisis. Kurkov describes daily life in Ukraine in such a way that the reader feels himself a Kievit. Kurkov will present us with his personal experience and analysis of the conflict, his outtake on freedom and his ideas about the near future for Ukraine and the region.
On Kurkov
Born in St Petersburg, Kurkov now lives in Kiev with his family. About his background, he states that:
“(…) there is a big difference between ‘being Russian’ and ‘being a Russian’, although many Ukrainians don’t seem to understand that. I am Russian myself, after all, an ethnically Russian citizen of Ukraine. But I am not ‘a Russian’, because I have nothing in common with Russia and its politics. I do not have Russian citizenship, and I do not want it.” – Ukraine Diaries, page 69
Kurkov graduated from the Kiev Foreign Language Institute and worked for some time as a journalist. After his military service as a prison ward at Odessa, he became a film cameraman, writer of screenplays and author of critically acclaimed and popular novels. Kurkov is the author of 13 novels and five books for children. His work is currently translated into 25 languages, including English, Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese, Swedish and Hebrew. He has also written assorted articles for various publications worldwide.
On the Freedom Lecture
Political and Cultural Center De Balie (Amsterdam) together with Amnesty International organize for the second year: The Freedom Lecture. For each lecture a critical thinker gives a speech on the cause he or she is committed to. The line-up of speakers include human rights activists, defenders, writers, philosophers and artists. This year we had the pleasure to welcome opposition leader Andrei Sannikov from Belarus, internet activist Esra’a al Shafei from Bahrein and Indonesian artist Ade Darmawan.
Presentation of the program: Mirthe Frese (De Balie).
NB: Op 17 december houdt Andrey Kurkov De Vrijheidslezing in cultureel podium LUX, Nijmegen.