On September 20, 2026, at 18:00 on the main stage of the country — in the Great Hall of the Palace of Ukraine — there will be a Kyiv presentation of Serhiy Zhadan's new book "Hymns of Baroque Wars", and it is truly worth attending if you want to feel the live conversational flow of resistance, love, and strength spoken aloud. This is not just an author's performance, but a grand charity poetry evening, where texts, light, and music combine into a single emotional wave lasting about two hours without intermissions, perfect for those seeking a sincere, painful, yet sunlit mood. Tickets start at 390 hryvnias, and 100% of the proceeds will be directed to the needs of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Charter", so your visit is not only a cultural experience but also real help.
About the event
This is a presentation of a collection that will be released in the fall by the publishing house "Meridian Czernowitz" and combines poetry, prose, and graphics written in Kharkiv during 2024–2025, so you will see the first book by Serhiy Zhadan in the last two years, which has become chronicles of the city's resistance and testimonies of people's love. The evening will be performed in Ukrainian, without subtitles, as it is a live poetic reading where the author himself speaks each word, and the musical-noise accompaniment gives the text a deep sound. The event takes place in the National Palace of Arts "Ukraine" at 103 Velyka Vasylkivska St., Kyiv, in the Great Hall, which is the main repertoire venue of the country for such large-scale cultural events.
Plot and mood
The book "Hymns of Baroque Wars" is not a narrative story, but a collection of emotional testimonies, chronicles of resistance, articulating aloud what holds and gives strength, so the mood of the evening will be painful, conscious, yet filled with sunlight and the names of the people who inspired the author. Serhiy Zhadan wants to gather everyone he hasn't seen in a long time and share this special text, which contains many names, faces, and rays, so you will feel sincerity, closeness, and community, even if you do not know the author personally. The emotional tone of the evening is a balancing act between poetry and prose, between font and line, between question and answer, so you will not see boring monologues, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow.
Production
The evening is brought to life by good friends: the general partner of the event "First Private Brewery" and the technology company blago, while the musical-noise accompaniment is provided by LyoBaï, so you will see not just a reading, but a full-fledged multimedia performance where each element — text, light, music — works towards a single emotional wave. Serhiy Zhadan himself performs as an author and performer, so you will feel his sincerity, closeness, and community, even if you do not know the author personally. The visual style of the evening is modern, minimalist, yet deep, where light works on emotions, and music adds volume and significance to the text.
How to get there, duration, and intermissions
The Palace of Ukraine is located at 103 Velyka Vasylkivska St., Kyiv, and the easiest way to get there is by metro: the "Palace Ukraine" station (red line), so you will exit right in front of the palace entrance. Doors open at 17:00, so it is worth arriving a little earlier not to miss the first minutes of the evening. The event lasts about two hours without intermissions, so you will not see pauses, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow that holds attention from start to finish. Landmarks — the main stage of the country, the large hall, which is the main repertoire venue of the country for such large-scale cultural events.
Prices and for whom
Tickets start at 390 hryvnias, and 100% of the proceeds will be directed to the needs of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine "Charter", so your visit is not only a cultural experience but also real help. The event is suitable for a date, for friends, for family, so you will not see boring monologues, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow that holds attention from start to finish. You will not see boring monologues, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow that holds attention from start to finish.
Tips for the audience
Come a little earlier not to miss the first minutes of the evening, and do not forget that this is not just a reading, but a full-fledged multimedia performance where each element — text, light, music — works towards a single emotional wave. Dress code — modern, minimalist, yet deep, so you will not see boring monologues, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow that holds attention from start to finish. During the intermission, you will not see pauses, but a lively, dynamic conversational flow that holds attention from start to finish.
What is closer to you — a daytime show for a calm mood or an evening one with dinner afterwards?
