In Ukraine, the results were announced for the project "Iconic Publications of Independence: 35 Books We Choose Together," dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the restoration of independence. First place in the readers’ vote went to Illarion Pavliuk’s psychological thriller "I See You’re Interested in the Dark," UNN reports, citing the Ukrainian Book Institute.
Details
The voting lasted from September 7 to October 6. Readers selected between 1 and 35 books and publishing series from a longlist of 100 entries, which had previously been compiled by 40 experts in literature, culture, and media.
A total of 168,889 votes were cast based on the results of the voting.
Which books Ukrainians chose as iconic
As reported by the Ukrainian Book Institute, the final list brought together different genres, generations of authors, and ways of reflecting on our shared experience. It included contemporary novels, including genre fiction, works about the war, historical memory, and Ukrainian identity, poetry collections, nonfiction, and foundational editions of classics.
The strong demand for contemporary genre literature is evidenced by the leading position of Illarion Pavliuk’s novel, which ranked first in the readers’ vote. The finalists also included Pavlo Derevianko’s trilogy "The Chronicle of the Gray Order," Maks Kidruk’s series "The New Dark Ages," and Andrii Sem’iankiv’s medical thriller "Dancing with Bones."
Books devoted to Ukrainian history and culture and to rethinking the past occupy a prominent place on the list. These include "The Case of Vasyl Stus" by Vakhtang Kipiani, "The Gates of Europe" by Serhii Plokhii, "Language-Sword" by Yevheniia Kuznietsova, and "Revolt Against the Empire: The Ukrainian Sixtiers" by Radomyr Mokryk.
Readers also placed considerable emphasis on book series that reveal Ukraine’s literary heritage and return important prose and poetic works to cultural circulation. The shortlist included collections of works by Vasyl Stus, Lesia Ukrainka, and Taras Shevchenko, as well as series of Ukrainian classics that bring renewed attention not only to canonical texts but also to works that had not previously been actively published.
Several authors secured more than one place on the shortlist: Serhii Zhadan (3 entries), Oksana Zabuzhko (2 entries as an author and 1 as an editor), Lina Kostenko (2 entries), Yevheniia Kuznietsova (2 entries), and Ivan Malkovych (1 entry as an author and 4 as the editor of book series).
The Ukrainian Book Institute also provided the shortlist:
- «I See You’re Interested in the Dark», Illarion Pavliuk. Publisher: «Old Lion Publishing House», 2020
- «Hemingway Knows Nothing», Artur Dron. Publisher: «Old Lion Publishing House», 2025
- «Beyond Perekop There Is Land. A Crimean Novel», Anastasiia Levkova. Publisher: «Laboratory», 2023
- Trilogy «The Chronicle of the Gray Order», Pavlo Derevianko. Publisher: «Dim Khymer» (2019), publisher: «Old Lion Publishing House», 2025
- «The Case of Vasyl Stus. A Collection of Documents from the Archives of the Former KGB of the Ukrainian SSR», Vakhtang Kipiani. Vivat Publishing House, 2019, 2021
- Series «The New Dark Ages» (2 books), Maks Kidruk. Publisher: «Bearded Tamarin», 2022, 2026
- «The Gates of Europe. A History of Ukraine from the Scythian Wars to Independence», Serhii Plokhii. KSD Publishing House, 2016
- Series «Ukrainian Poetry Anthology» (31 books), Ivan Malkovych (editor). A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2012–2026
- Series «Vivat Classics» (24 books), Yaryna Tsymbal (editor). Vivat Publishing House, 2023–2026
- «Notes of a Ukrainian Madman», Lina Kostenko. A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2010
- «Marusia Churai», Lina Kostenko. A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2018
- «Language-Sword. How the Soviet Empire Spoke», Yevheniia Kuznietsova. Publisher: «Your Underground Humanities», 2023
- «Ask Miechka», Yevheniia Kuznietsova. Publisher: «Old Lion Publishing House», 2021
- «The Boarding School», Serhii Zhadan. Meridian Czernowitz Publishing House, 2017
- «The Alphabet», Ivan Malkovych (author and editor). A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 1992, 1993
- The “Uncanonical Canon” series (40 books), Vera Aheieva (compiler). Vikhola Publishing House, 2022–2026
- “Ukraїner: The Country from Within,” Bohdan Lohvynenko. Old Lion Publishing House, 2019, Ukraїner Publishing House, 2024
- “Zhadan. All Poems. 1993–2023,” Serhiy Zhadan. Meridian Czernowitz Publishing House, 2024
- “Sweet Darusia,” Maria Matios. Pyramida Literary Agency, 2004, A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2024
- “Vasyl Stus. Complete Collection of Works in 6 Volumes, 9 Books,” Mykhailyna Kotsiubynska and Dmytro Stus (compilers). Prosvita Publishing House, 1994–1998
- The “100 Tales” series (3 books), Ivan Malkovych (compiler). A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2005
- “Lesia Ukrainka. Complete Academic Collection of Works in 14 Volumes,” Vera Aheieva, Yurii Hromyk, Oksana Zabuzhko, Iryna Konstantkevych, Maria Moklytsia, Serhii Romanov (editorial board). Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University, Komora, Smoloskyp, Ukrainian Book Institute, 2021.
- “Dancing with Bones,” Andrii Sem'iankiv. Vikhola Publishing House, 2022
- “Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex,” Oksana Zabuzhko. Zghoda Publishing House, 1996, Fakt Publishing House, 2004, Spadshchyna Publishing House, 2015, Komora Publishing House, 2025
- “The Museum of Abandoned Secrets,” Oksana Zabuzhko. Fakt Publishing House, 2009, Spadshchyna Publishing House, 2012, Komora Publishing House, 2020
- “Rebellion Against the Empire: The Ukrainian Sixtiers,” Radomyr Mokryk. A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 2023
- “Voroshylovhrad,” Serhiy Zhadan. Folio Publishing House, 2010, KSD Publishing House, 2015
- The “Executed Renaissance. Selected Works” series (16 books), Osyp Zinkevych, Volodymyr Panchenko, Oleksandr Ushkalov, Nadiia Bilyk, Nataliia Havdida, Oksana Taniuk, Olesia Omelchuk, Anatolii Tkachenko, Dana Tkachenko, Rostyslav Melnykiv (collective of compilers). Smoloskyp Publishing House, 2001–2025
- “Taras Shevchenko. Complete Collection of Works in 12 Volumes,” M. H. Zhulynskyi (chair), V. S. Borodin (deputy chair), S. A. Halchenko (deputy chair), O. K. Fedoruk (deputy chair), I. M. Dziuba, O. V. Myshanych, V. V. Nimchuk, V. V. Ruban, H. A. Skrypnyk, V. L. Smilianska, N. P. Ch amata, V. I. Pakharenko, V. M. Yatsiuk, A. Ya. Beldii (editorial board); M. M. Pavliuk, Yu. V. Pelesh enko, T. M. Riznychenko, V. L. Smilianska, V. O. Sudak, N. P. Chamat, V. Ye. Shubravskyi (compilers). Naukova Dumka Publishing House, 2001–2025
- The “Favorite Poems” series (3 books), Ivan Malkovych (compiler). A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishing House, 1994
- “Poems from the Firing Port,” Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov. Nash Format Publishing House, 2023
- “The Daughter,” Tamara Horiha Zernia. Bilka Publishing House, 2019
- “I Am Transforming… An Occupation Diary. Selected Poems,” Volodymyr Vakulenko-K. Vivat Publishing House, 2023
- “Amadoka,” Sofia Andrukhovych. Old Lion Publishing House, 2020
- “Yakiv’s Century,” Volodymyr Lys. KSD Publishing House, 2010, Folio Publishing House, 2025.
Scorched books from Kharkiv became an installation at the Frankfurt Book Fair07.10.26, 21:52
Readers’ Choice Award: How Ukrainians Voted in Diia
A separate component of the project was a poll in the Diia app dedicated to landmark Ukrainian books published in 2022–2026. As part of this nomination, users chose the book that, in their opinion, deserved a special readers’ choice award from among 15 nominated publications.
The winner was “The Colony” by Maksym Kidruk, which received 23% (14,052) of the votes.
In total, 60,596 Diia users cast their votes. The full results are available in the Diia app. The special nomination provided an additional opportunity to engage a broad audience in a conversation about Ukrainian books that appeared during the full-scale war.
In total, 229,485 votes were cast in the two polls.
The following books published in 2022–2026 also competed:
- “Dancing with Bones,” Andrii Semʼiankiv — 7,699 votes.
- “Beyond Perekop Lies the Land. A Crimean Novel,” Anastasiia Levkova — 7,035 votes.
- “Rebellion Against the Empire: The Ukrainian Sixtiers,” Radomyr Mokryk — 5,831 votes.
- “Poems from the Firing Port,” Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov — 4,289 votes.
- “Hemingway Knows Nothing,” Artur Dron — 4,118 votes.
- “Sword-Language. How the Soviet Empire Spoke,” Yevheniia Kuznietsova — 3,424 votes.
- “I Am Transforming… Diary of the Occupation. Selected Poems,” Volodymyr Vakulenko — 3,373 votes.
- “A Person at the Crossroads. Reflections on Existential Intelligence,” Ihor Kozlovskyi — 2,210 votes.
- “Call Sign for Job. Chronicles of the Invasion,” Oleksandr Mykhed — 1,705 votes.
- “Letitia Kuryata and All Her Fictional Lovers to Whom She Lied About Her Father,” Vira Kuryko — 1,571 votes.
- “Testimony,” Viktoriia Amelina — 1,501 votes.
- “The Game of Dressing Up,” Artem Chekh — 1,501 votes.
- “How to Read Ukrainian Classics,” Rostyslav Semkiv — 1,155 votes.
- “Lists,” Myroslav Laiuk — 1,132 votes.
Context
"Landmark Publications of Independence: 35 Books We Choose Together" — a joint project of MEGOGO BOOKS and the Ukrainian Book Institute dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. During the project’s first stage, 40 experts from the fields of literature, culture, and media compiled a longlist of 100 books and publishing series published between 1991 and 2026. During the second stage, which lasted from September 7 to October 6, Ukrainians voted for publications from the longlist, selecting between 1 and 35 entries. Based on the results of the readers’ vote, a shortlist of 34 publications and publishing series was formed.
Within the project, a book or series was considered landmark if it had a lasting impact on readers or society: becoming a subject of conversations and discussions, helping to rethink history and identity, returning important names and topics to public discourse, influencing the development of the Ukrainian language and culture, or becoming part of the shared experience of an entire generation.