Ukrainian programme at the
Frankfurt Book Fair
About the Frankfurt Book Fair
Frankfurt Buchmesse, also known as the Frankfurt Book Fair, is the world’s largest and one of the oldest book fairs, which serves as a key professional event in the publishing industry. Since 2022, the Ukrainian Institute has been annually contributing to shaping the Ukrainian programme at the fair.
Ukraine at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2024
Frankfurt Book Fair 2024
The Ukrainian Book Institute, Goethe-Institut Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute and Mystetskyi Arsenal represented Ukraine at the world’s main book event.
From 16 to 20 October, the Frankfurt Book Fair featured a national stand, a Mystetskyi Arsenal stand, UA Comix, and a separate stand for publisher Oleksandr Savchuk, the winner of the Chytomo award.
This year’s focus theme for Ukraine is ‘Reclaiming the voice’. We are reclaiming our voice on the world stage and demonstrating not only Ukrainian resilience, but also the diversity and uniqueness of Ukrainian books. We are presenting new voices in our literature, showcasing new German translations, and talking about Ukrainian classics, reportage, and poetry.
Events under the Ukrainian programme
The Ukrainian Institute was involved in the organisation of 12 events and invited well-known Ukrainian writers and cultural figures to participate, including:
- Sofia Andrukhovych, this year’s laureate of the prestigious German Hermann Hesse Prize for her novel Amadoka.
- Yevheniya Kuznetsova, translator and researcher.
- Anna Gruver, writer and poet.
- Myroslav Laiuk, writer, poet, and reporter.
- Radomyr Mokryk, historian and researcher.
Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, Head of the Ukrainian Institute’s representative office in Germany, also participated in the events.
One of the key events was the presentation of a catalogue of translations of contemporary Ukrainian literature, on which participants of the Ukrainian Institute’s translation school in Germany had been working throughout the year.
The Ukrainian Institute’s event programme included discussions on the power of resistance in Crimea, Ukrainian reportage, dissident movements, the war in Ukraine and the world after it, war-time poetry, and the search for Ukrainian identity.
The programme of UI events includes talks about the power of resistance in Crimea, Ukrainian reportage, dissident movements, the war in Ukraine and what the world will look like after it, wartime poetry and the search for Ukrainian identity.
Ukraine at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023
Frankfurt Book Fair 2023
In 2023, the Ukrainian Institute was represented with its own stand at one of the world’s key literary events and also participated in organising the Ukrainian programme, with events held at the national stand.
Co-organisers of this project included the Ukrainian Book Institute, the Goethe-Institut Ukraine, and Mystetskyi Arsenal.
The operation of the Ukrainian stand was made possible thanks to the extensive support of the German Federal Ministry of Culture and Media, as well as Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany, and the Consulate General of Ukraine in Frankfurt.
Ukrainian Institute stand
The Ukrainian Institute’s stand was located in THE ARTS+ pavilion, serving as a meeting place for professionals from the publishing and creative industries at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Visitors to one of the world’s largest book and cultural events were introduced to the ‘Discover Ukraine: Bit by Bit’ project, which showcases the heritage of Ukrainian artist Alla Horska. The project features images of 56 mosaics, including works such as ‘Tree of Life’ and ‘Boriviter.’ More than a quarter of these artworks have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the stand, visitors also had the opportunity to learn more about the Ukrainian Institute and its digital guide to Ukrainian culture, Insight.UA. The stand showcased books published with the initiative and support of the Ukrainian Institute. On the Ukrainian stage within the national stand, two events took place: a discussion featuring Iryna Tsilyk, Oleksandr Mykhed, and Kateryna Mikhailytsyna, and a presentation of the anthology ‘Martial Law’. Both events were moderated by Kateryna Rietz-Rakul, head of the Ukrainian Institute’s German representation.
Ukraine at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2022
Frankfurt Book Fair 2022
At the Fair, two events were held by the UkrainianInstitute with the support of Goethe-Ukraine. Frankfurt Book Fair lasted October 18 – 23.
There was a conversation about the role of gastronomic publications in spreading information about Ukrainian history and culture with the participation of Artem Braichenko and Olena Braichenko (їzhakultura project) and Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General at the Ukrainian Institute. The reason for the meeting was the release of the publication Ukraine. Food and History in German – a translation of the joint project of the Ukrainian Institute with the їzhakultura project team.
In one of the central pavilions, a discussion about cultural policy during the war was held by Volodymyr Sheiko, Johannes Ebert (Goethe Institute.V.), Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta (Mystetskyi Arsenal), and Serhiy Zhadan.
Partners of the project
The participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the Frankfurt Book Fair took place with the support of Goethe-Ukraine.
