Roman Shukhevych in Czechia: Readers and Author in Living Dialogue

After the lecture — a queue at the book table. That is how the meetings with historian Olesya Isayuk in Prague and Jihlava wrapped up as part of the “Relevant Dialogues” programme: readers came forward, asked questions, and left with signed copies of “Roman Shukhevych. Life of a Legend”.

Direct contact between author and reader is an essential part of any book presentation. At the meetings with Olesya Isayuk, this moment proved especially rich: people were in no hurry to leave and continued asking questions well after the official part had ended.

A Book That Answers Questions

“Roman Shukhevych. Life of a Legend” is not merely a biography of the Supreme Commander of the UPA from 1943 to 1950, but also an attempt to answer questions about the nature of leadership, elite identity, and choice under occupation. These were precisely the topics that most engaged the audience: what made Shukhevych an elite figure? How did the warrior and the artist, the commander and the human being, coexist within him?

Olesya Isayuk — researcher at the Centre for Research of the Liberation Movement and the National Museum-Memorial “Prison on Lontskoho” — answered clearly and with scholarly rigour, drawing on primary sources and her own research into the Nazi occupation of Ukraine.

After the Lecture — Signatures and Conversations

The book-signing moment in Prague became a continuation of the discussion: anyone who wished could ask a personal question, receive a more detailed answer, and take home a copy with a personal inscription. The “Relevant Dialogues” format is designed precisely for this — not a monologue, but a genuine exchange.

Our thanks to Serhii Petrov, Anna Abramchuk and Svitlana Romaniuk for the photographs from both days of the event.