Ukrainian presence at the London Book Fair 

This year Ukraine is participating at the London Book Fair, which will be held on 5-7 April, with a national stand with the focus 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.

“Russia’s war on Ukraine is not fiction” — this is the motto of our stand, where we focus on non-fiction books. The Ukrainian stand will also present 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 the Understand Ukraine section, we have collected views on the Ukrainian history of world intellectuals, historians and philosophers: Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Karl Schlögel, Serhii Plokhii, Serhy Yekelchyk, Paul Robert Magocsi, Olha Hnatiuk and others. Important book novelties such as Who Are We? National Communities and Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine by Ukraїner and Our Others: Stories of Ukrainian Diversity by Olesia Yaremchuk. A separate part is the fight against propaganda and fakes, in which Ukraine has had extensive experience since 2014. In particular, we recommend books This Is Not Propaganda by Peter Pomerantsev and War for Reality by Dmytro Kuleba on this topic.

In the Publish section, we suggest paying attention to books that have been published in other countries, including those in English. Here are collected leading Ukrainian writers, such as recent novels and essays about the war by Zhadan, Kurkov, Zabuzhko, as well as memories of imprisonment in the Russian Federation, hunger strike, and inflexibility of film director Oleg Sentsov Chronicle of a Hunger Striker and In Isolation. Dispatches from Occupied Donbas by Stanislav Aseyev. 

In the Translate Ukraine section, we offer you novelties that have not yet been released in other languages, and will certainly be interesting – I Still Feel Sorry When I Throw Away Food. Grandma Used to Tell Me Stories about the Holodomor artbook by Andrii Dostliev, Lia Dostlieva. A book with memories of the trauma of the Holodomor organized by Stalin against the Ukrainian people and Squash Compote by Olga Kari — a book about the early 90s through light everyday sketches and humour of the author, as well as publications about the avant-garde art of Ukraine in the 20s of the last century.

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.

Join the events by the Ukrainian stand: conversations with Andrey Kurkov, a Ukrainian novelist, the author of Death and the Penguin​ and with Dr. Aleksandra Hnatiuk, writer, translator, professor of the University of Warsaw and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, researcher of Ukrainian intellectual history in the 20th century are planned.

Every purchase of the rights to a Ukrainian book now is not only an opportunity to understand Ukraine in this difficult time, but also to support the book publishing industry. According to recent polls by the Chytomo website, only 40% of publishers have access to their offices and were not forced to leave their homes, and only a third of them still have reserves to pay for the work of their employees. This war has already taken the lives of two publishers as well as translators. And no, it’s not fiction, unfortunately.

Organizers: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Ukrainian Book Institute, Ukrainian Institute, PEN Ukraine, Book Arsenal, Book Forum, Ukrainian Institute London, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK. 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.

Contact persons:
General inquiries – Sofiia Cheliak, [email protected]

The representative of the team in London – Olha Mukha, [email protected]