While the Ukrainian army continues to defend every piece of Ukrainian territory, every civilian, and the very spirit of freedom and democracy in the world, the Ukrainian and world publishing community stands for our values here at the London Book Fair on 5-7 April, 2022.
This year Ukraine is participating at the LBF with a national stand, which focuses on non-fiction books (located 2B05). The aim is to present those publications that would help to understand Ukraine and its ancient and modern history and culture, as well as the reasons for the current war. The stand was designed by the art director of the Mystetskyi Arsenal, Lera Guevska.
After eight years of military aggression against Ukraine (occupied Donbas and occupied the Crimean Peninsula), Russia has launched an unprecedented full-scale war against our country. On 24 February 2022, the armed forces of the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. As of 30 March, 1219 civilians were killed, including 148 children. Russians destroyed a huge number of civil infrastructure, including kindergartens, hospitals, libraries, and cultural properties. Over three million people took refuge in other countries.
Russian invasion is the biggest and the deadliest than any other conflict that took place in Europe since World War II. United in bravery and determination, Ukrainians are fighting the aggressor on all fronts.
We are very grateful to everyone for your invaluable support in recent months. You have done a lot to tell the world about Ukraine and the criminal war that Russia has waged against us. We really appreciate you being around. But we are very sorry that we barely knew each other before, that you knew so little about our culture and history during the last 30 years of our independence.
We have always been part of Europe and European culture. In addition to what we are today and what we are doing today, it is important for us that you know about our foundations, what shaped us, what our country was built upon.
You are also welcome to watch stories of those representatives of the literature and publishing community that are on the frontlines now or are reflecting on their experiences of exile.
In this war all dimensions — military, political, humanitarian, and cultural — equally matter. Culture is never neutral, it’s always political to the extent it’s relevant in its time.
Unfortunately, ukrainian publishers will not be present on the stand, but you can find books. Here are presented books of Ukrainian publishers: Chorna Hora, Krytyka, Vivat, Yakaboo, Komora, Knyholove, Duh i litera, Tempora, Ukraїner, Portal, Їzhakultura, Artbook, Vikhola, The Old Lion Publishing House, Rodovid, аnd also foreign publishing houses which translate Ukrainian books and publish books about Ukraine the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University (HURI), Academic Studies Press.
Organizers: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Ukrainian Book Institute, Ukrainian Institute, PEN Ukraine, Book Arsenal, Book Forum.
Ukraine’s participation at the London Book Fair was made possible by a partnership with the British Council Ukraine within the UK/Ukraine Season 2022.
With the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
How you can HELP Ukraine at the London Book Fair:
- Make a photo/video at the Ukrainian stand and publish posts on your personal and institutional social media pages to condemn the Russian aggression and support Ukraine using #StandWithUkraine, #StopRussianAggression
- Explore how you can Translate Ukraine (Translate Ukraine 2021, Drahoman Prize)
- Explore rights catalogs of Ukrainian publishers — Ukrainian Literature: Rights On!
- Donate to printing and distributing of Ukrainian book for kids-refugees abroad
How you can HELP Ukraine worldwide:
- Support Ukraine
- Boycott Russian cultural activities. We ask you to suspend all your projects that involve Russian institutions and individuals and not engage in any cooperation with Russian culture or education sector #BoycottRussia
- Donate to printing and distributing of Ukrainian book for kids-refugees abroad
- Donate to Ukraine’s defenders
- Read and share information about book market of Ukraine under Russia’s attack
The international cultural community has the power to help put an end to this war. We ask for your support in the name of democratic values, peace, truth, and freedom of choice.
Contact persons:
General questions
Sofia Cheliak [email protected]
The representative of the team in London
Olha Mukha [email protected]
Team of the Ukrainian stand
Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Book Institute is a government entity affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. Its mission is to develop state policy in the book sector, promote reading in Ukraine, support book publishing, encourage translation activity, and popularize Ukrainian literature abroad.
The Ukrainian Institute is a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its mission is to strengthen Ukraine’s international standing through the means of cultural diplomacy. The Institute facilitates international connections between people and institutions and creates opportunities for Ukraine to interact and cooperate with the world.
PEN Ukraine is a cultural and human rights public organization uniting 140 members, Ukrainian intellectuals – writers, journalists, scholars, publishers, translators, human rights defenders, cultural managers. The Ukrainian PEN is one of 146 national PEN Centres of PEN International. PEN Ukraine is focused on protection of freedom of speech and authors’ rights, promotion of literature development and international cultural cooperation.
International Book Arsenal Festival is an annual project of the Mystetskyi Arsenal (Kyiv) and an intellectual event in Ukraine, where the book, literary and artistic scenes develop and interact with each other, and important issues of human existence, as well as society and culture are raised, prompting the proactive position of the participants and visitors.
Lviv International BookForum has taken place annually, since 1994. It is Ukraine’s largest literary festival, one of the biggest festivals in Central and Eastern Europe. Over the past 28 years, the purpose of the Festival is the creation of a full-fledged dialogue between representatives of Ukrainian and foreign literature; dissemination of Ukrainian culture abroad; definition of the main tendencies and directions of development of the world literature process into the Ukrainian context.