An evening in memory of Andriy Gudima was held at the Books…

On July 2, an evening in memory of Andriy Gudima —an artist, writer, blogger, chef, and defender of Ukraine—was held at the Bookstore-Café cultural space in Odesa.

An Intent correspondent attended the event.

One of Andriy Gudima’s major creative works is the book *69 Spices for the Heart*, which he wrote for his daughter Yulia. The collection of essays was conceived as a blend of recipes and profound reflections on love, life, and cuisine within the context of Ukrainian culture. The book was published by “Vydavnytstvo Staroho Leva” after the author’s death near Bakhmut on July 2, 2023. Before his death, the artist had discussed the cover design but was unable to see it completed.

The event was moderated by poet Andriy Khaetskyi, who is participating in an evening commemorating Andriy Hudyma for the third time.

“Memory is the only thing we have left, even when the material world is lost. We may lose our memory too, but the main thing is to have time to pass on the story to someone else. In fact, the name of any person who died fighting for Ukraine—and all the more so if that person was so talented, capable of giving, inspiring, and supporting others—such names are extremely important,” the poet noted.

The gathering also honored other fallen artists and defenders of Ukraine whose works were never completed due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The event was organized in collaboration with the “Unfinished” project.

The “Unfinished” project is dedicated to artists whose lives were cut short by the Russian-Ukrainian war. Its goal is to preserve the memory of the names and creative work of writers, poets, translators, editors, publishers, librarians, and researchers, as well as to document the scale of the loss caused by the war. The initiative was founded by writer and journalist Olena Herasymiuk and writer and military serviceman Yevhen Lir.

Cultural and educational events are held regularly at the Bookstore-Café. In particular, an exhibition by Oleksandra Polyakova, a young artist from Crimea, was recently presented. The landscapes featured at the event are dedicated to her native region, to which the artist dreams of returning.

By visiting the Bookstore-Café at 77 Yevropeiska Street, you will not only support Ukrainian books and the local cultural scene, but also independent journalism—after all, the project was created as a way to support independent media.

Юлія Калабайда

An evening in memory of the writer-chef who died near Bakhmut was held in Odesa

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