Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a time of war with Charlotte Higgins and guests
Date and time:
Wednesday 30 September, 2026
19:30 - 21:00
Location:
Conway Hall
25 Red Lion Square
London
WC1R 4RL
Higgins never imagined she would report on a war. But in the autumn of 2022, seven months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she travelled there to cover a literary festival. The experience would change her life.
In her searing new book, she details her first-hand account of art, survival and resistance in wartime Ukraine. Drawing on two decades of cultural journalism at the Guardian, three years of reporting trips to Ukraine and her training as a classicist, she explores what artists are prepared to risk – and why culture remains worth fighting for.
She will be in conversation with three exceptional Ukrainian writers, Olia Hercules, Sasha Dovzhyk and Olesya Khromeychuk. Chaired by Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s central and eastern European correspondent, join them as they reflect on how art and literature give voice to the often unspoken truths, horrors and emotions of the conflict.
The event is organised in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute London.
Speaker
Charlotte Higgins
Charlotte Higgins is the Guardian’s chief culture writer. As an author, most of her books touch on the aspects of the ancient world. She is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a past winner of the UK’s Classical Association Prize.
Speaker
Olesya Khromeychuk
Olesya Khromeychuk is the director of the Ukrainian Institute of London. She is the author of the acclaimed memoir The Death of a Soldier, Told by His Sister.
Speaker
Sasha Dovzhyk
Sasha Dovzhyk is the director of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange, a new cultural and research institution based in Lviv, Ukraine. She is also the author of Shapeshifters, a new volume of stories documenting the Russian war on Ukraine.
Speaker
Olia Hercules
Olia Hercules is a renowned London-based Ukrainian food writer and chef. She is the author of Strong Roots, a story of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of her family struggling and surviving through war, peace, invasion and exile.
