Lately literary cafes in libraries have become very popular. This idea came into our language relatively recently.
Literary cafes are used to attract people to reading books. The work in such cafes is organized by people for whom the idea of literature is not an empty word.
The brightest events in literary cafes are literary meetings (gatherings/salons).
Modern writers, poets, critics and other literary workers are invited to these events.
The topics that are discussed at these meetings are most various, and this constitutes the main difference between a literary café and a literary club.
New and forgotten literary works, book reviews, publications about Ukrainian and world classical authors, recommendations on what to read in the nearest future - that is not the full list of what can be discussed and argued about in the literary café.
Our library has little experience in organizing meetings like this. Examples can be Pancake week, Easter and family parties, when all the activities are held with a cup of tea with cakes and pies.
Very interesting and useful material was presented there: literary parties, non-typical lessons in Ukrainian literature.
Plays dedicated to outstanding classical authors of Ukrainian literature (Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky, Alexander Dovzhenko, Lina Kostenko, Vasyl Stus, Vasyl Simonenko) were staged.
On 17 March 2015, our library in conjunction with school № 29 held a meeting in the literary café dedicated to the creative activity of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (connected with the poet’s 201st birthday anniversary)
The children prepared literary wallpaper, participated in the readers’ contest ‘My favourite Kobzar’s poem’, took an active part in the discussion of Ukrainian folk traditions and in the literary quiz ‘What I know about Shevchenko?’ They also had a wonderful online journey ‘Around Ukraine together with Kobzar’ and watched the presentation ‘Shevchenko, the painter’.
Literary cafés are really necessary undertakings which promote spirituality and will take people’s love back to books.
Everybody remembers internet cafes which placed the computer and the internet in the leading position in people’s life.
If literary cafes get at least a little bit of the success that internet cafes enjoyed, it will become a real breakthrough.