The Fifth Book Club Meeting: reading “My Flag Was Peed On by a Cat” by Lena Lyahushonkova

On Wednesday, January 21, at 5:00 PM, we invite you to Lviv Media Hub for the next meeting of the book club that Lviv Media Forum is developing together with the creative space KIVSH. This time, we will discuss Lena Lyahushonkova’s debut prose work “My Flag Was Peed On by a Cat.” The book is a retrospective coming-of-age story that reflects on the author’s life in the Luhansk region during Soviet times, when finding common sense in a society oversaturated with stereotypes was a real challenge.

“My Flag Was Peed On by a Cat” is an ironic yet deeply personal narrative about painful and uncomfortable experiences. The book was named BBC Book of the Year 2025. Written in the genre of autofiction, it does not evoke nostalgia for the Soviet past; instead, it reveals the complex and at times traumatic personal experience of the author. In her essays, Lena Lyahushonkova raises topics that remain uncomfortable for contemporary society, and during our discussion we will try to find answers to questions that have long been left unspoken.

The discussion will be moderated by Ihor Balynsky, editor, media expert, and co-founder of Choven Publishing House.

The event will take place at Lviv Media Hub (creative space KIVSH, 120h Shevchenka St.).

Participation requires registration via the link.

Ticket: 250 UAH (a donation to the organization’s charitable fund).

We will send required excerpts from the book to everyone who registers for the meeting, but we encourage you not to limit yourself to the excerpts and to read the entire book.

Lviv Media Forum hosts the book club every third Wednesday of the month. If you live in Lviv or often visit the city and would like to spend an evening in good company, join our book club. During previous meetings, we discussed “On Freedom” by Timothy Snyder, “Where the Sun Sets” by Olena Pshenychna, “Hemingway Knows Nothing” by Artur Dron, and “How to Breathe Free? A Guide to Decolonization” by Mariam Naiem.