On 30 October 2026 at 15:00, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War will host the special event “Metamorphoses: War (Un)changed”, organised by the Museum in partnership with PEN Ukraine.
The event is dedicated to reflections on the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war through the literature and documentary by those who have lived it, that is, soldiers, witnesses and outsiders. The focus is on the military poetry phenomenon, the recording of wartime realities in literature, and the perspective on the war from beyond Ukraine’s borders.
The programme includes:
🔹presentation of the 2nd issue of the Metaromantica almanack – a collection of works by authors and participants of the eponymous movement, including active-duty servicemen and artists (among them Oleksandr “Dante” Mieniailov and “Ditrikh”)
🔹discussion with Gabriel Krause, British author from London, who volunteered with the medical battalion Hospitallers in 2023. The conversation will explore the experience of living through war outside one’s own country, the motives that draw foreigners to Ukraine’s resistance, and the particular challenges of capturing wartime events through literature and documentary
🔹ceremonial handover of copies of the second issue of Metaromantica to the Museum’s permanent collection
🔹presentation of the military poetry project Metaromantica, with the participation of Volodymyr Yermolenko, President of PEN Ukraine
Moderator: Roman Kabachii, Head of Sector, War Museum
Admission is free
📅 October 30, 2026, 15:00
📍 Motherland Monument (The Main Building of the War Museum)
⏳ Duration: approximately 1.5 hours
Registration for the event is available via this link.
