Reading as a Core for Dialogue Among Leaders
Our panel discussion at the Book Arsenal this year focused on reading as an essential intellectual tool in an age of snap decisions and instant reactions, and its role in shaping leaders.
The dialogue featured Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta, Director General of Mystetskyi Arsenal; Anton Drobovych, philosopher and Head of the Human Rights and Memorialization Centre at KSE; and Andriy Lyubka, writer, essayist, and volunteer. The conversation was moderated by Denis Poltavets, Director of Program Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv.
Reading as Translation: How We Enrich Ourselves with the Experience and Knowledge of Others
The speakers began by discussing reading as a tool for understanding.
Despite the growing popularity of video and audio content, most information is still consumed through text, noted Andriy Lyubka. People read news feeds and scroll through smartphone messages, and this format remains central for acquiring knowledge. Moreover, reading helps us “internalise” the experience of others.
“Reading is translation,” said Lyubka. “We decode the hieroglyphs of text, turning them into our own thoughts.”
Anton Drobovych emphasised that reading is not a privilege of the managerial elite. It’s essential for anyone who wants to make autonomous decisions and think critically.
He also brought up the challenges to cultural development during the 1990s, when education and publishing were sidelined due to economic upheaval and shifts in public policy. In Drobovych’s view, the lack of support for publishing and promoting a culture of reading has led to a certain loss of depth in public knowledge.
As for what to read, the speakers agreed: there’s no single “must-read” book for leaders. Instead, what matters is the habit of reading and an openness to texts that explore relevant themes — war, decolonisation, memory, history, and art.
Theory and Reflection: The Role of Text-Based Dialogue in Shaping Thought
Another focus of the conversation was the role of dialogue through texts in the development of leadership. The Aspen Institute Kyiv uses this approach in its seminars, where participants share insights and experiences, but texts serve as the spark for discussion.
Drobovych noted that societies emerging from a colonial past may lack the tools for rethinking their identity or the theoretical foundation needed to address major challenges. In such contexts, broad dialogue — including the creation and active discussion of new texts — supports self-understanding and the search for meaningful trajectories forward.
Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta added that such theoretical reflection is often missing from decision-making in governance. She emphasised that this, too, stems from a colonial past, where society was trained to rely on knowledge from the “centre” rather than to develop its own.
“That’s why Ukrainian discussions often prioritise practice over theory — as if action matters more than thinking. That’s misleading and naïve. Every action is based on a hypothesis or even a theory, whether or not the actor recognises or understands it. It might seem paradoxical, but it’s not. This is a state in which a person acts based on someone else’s assumption without even realising it. And you can see this clearly in Ukrainian governance — chaotic, self-contradictory policies are often the result of an unrecognised theoretical basis: What is our goal? What is our theory of change? What diagnosis of society are we responding to?”
This, she said, is typical of territories managed from an external centre and lacking their own apparatus of reflection.
“In short, colonial societies. That’s why we should be sceptical of calls to ‘do more, think less.’ Often, decisions are based on unspoken assumptions. This is about the habit of reflecting, of building our own theories.”
The participants also agreed that Ukraine needs more platforms for “text-on-text” dialogue — spaces for deep, structured discussion grounded in literature and theory.
Writing as a Dialogue with Oneself
The conversation also touched on writing as an extension of internal dialogue. “Writing allows you to organise your own thoughts, revise and refine them, and test their strength. It’s also a way to record the current state of culture, ongoing debates, and shared pains that shape a community,” said Drobovych. According to the speakers, writing offers a space for reflection and helps develop personal strategies in times of crisis.
We thank the speakers for a rich and meaningful discussion, and Book Arsenal’s continued partnership!
