Ten Years of "East-West Street": An Events Program Featuring Philippe Sands in Lviv

On September 10–13, 2026, the 33rd Lviv International BookForum will take place, featuring writer and lawyer Philippe Sands, author of the acclaimed trilogy "East-West Street", "Ratline", and "38 Londres Street".

Center for Urban History, together with its partners, invites you to events featuring Philippe Sands, which will take place in the city on September 12–13 and are dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the publication of "East-West Street."

September 12, 14:00 — Presentation of the Ukrainian edition of "The Last Colony"

The presentation of the Ukrainian edition of Philippe Sands’s new book will take place at the Staryi Lev bookstore and café at 17 Halytska Street, with the author and publisher Marjana Savka in attendance.

September 12, 15:30 — Public Discussion: "Justice for Ukraine: Prospects and Challenges"

A public discussion featuring Philipe Sands and Inna Linyova, Director of the Human Rights Institute of the Ukrainian Bar Association, will take place in the conference hall of the Center for Urban History. Moderator: Ivan Gorodyskyi, Chairman of the Board of the Lviv Center for International Law and Justice.

Will a tribunal for the crime of aggression lead to the fragmentation of international criminal justice or serve as proof of its effectiveness? Do Ukraine’s allies currently have the political will to make reparations a reality? And what needs to be done to bring justice closer for Ukraine?

September 12, 18:00 — Public Discussion marking the 10th anniversary of the book "East-West Street"

Center for Urban History's conference hall will host a discussion titled "Ten Years of ‘East-West Street’" featuring Philippe Sands, Sofia Dyak, historian and Director of the Center for Urban History, and poet and publisher Marjana Savka. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Natalie Nougayrède, a journalist and editor of the online magazine re/visions.

The discussion will revolve around the story behind the book—from Sands's first visit to Lviv in 2010, when he was searching for traces of his family, to the two lawyers—Gershom Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin—whose ideas formed the basis for the concepts of "crimes against humanity" and "genocide". We'll discuss what exactly "East-West Street" can tell the city and the continent—both of which are once again living under conditions of war—about the responsibility—and the limits—of literature and the law in the face of war.

September 13, 10:00  — City Walk: "Lviv, Law, (In)justice"

Inna Zolotar, the Center’s public history program coordinator, will lead a themed city walk dedicated to Raphael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht, as well as other lawyers associated with Lviv who contributed to the development of postwar international law.

The walk will conclude with the public unveiling of a memorial plaque in honor of Hersch Lauterpacht and Raphael Lemkin. We invite you to join us at 12:00 p.m. near the Faculty of Biology of Ivan Franko University, 4 Mykhailo Hrushevsky St.

September 13, 13:00 — Discussion: "Justice, Fairness, Tribunal"

At the Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 15 Svobody Ave., there will be a public interview with Ostap Slyvynskyi and Philippe Sands about Russian crimes in Ukraine and how historical experience (in particular, the experience of World War II and the tribunals against Nazi criminals) can help in their investigation and proper legal assessment.

September 13, 18:00 — Lecture-Performance at the Potocki Palace

In the evening, Philippe Sands will present an intimate performance-lecture titled "East-West Street: A Song of Good and Evil" alongside French jazz pianist Guillaume de Chassy, who will perform excerpts from works by Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Leonard Cohen.

The performance-lecture has been staged around the world, including in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Canada. This time, the production returns to Lviv in an intimate setting (the full theatrical version took place at the Lviv Philharmonic in 2017).

Event co-organizers:

• NGO "Publishers’ Forum"
• Center for Urban History
• Old Lion Publishing House
• Stanislav Dnistriansky Center for Law and Politics
• Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
• Lviv City Council

The events will take place as part of the 33rd Lviv International BookForum and the public program "From Place to Place: Stories from Scattered Archives" of the project "REHERIT 2.0: Common Responsibility for Shared Heritage."

The 33rd Lviv International BookForum is organized with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation as part of the "Flagship Events" program, the International Renaissance Foundation, the Canadian non-governmental organization "Ukrainian-Jewish Encounter," the Lviv Regional Military Administration, and the Lviv City Council. The festival is organized by the NGO "Publishers’ Forum."

The "REHERIT 2.0" project is implemented by the Center for Urban History and the "Regional Development" Center of the PPV Economic Development Agency with financial support from the European Union.