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Culture is the most effective way to express the right messages. At the same time, while the Ukrainian military are defending the country at the fronts, publishers are trying to convey our values and visions of the world to the international community.

Ukraine’s participation in the London Book Fair was held under the slogan “Russia’s war with Ukraine – not fiction; it`s time to act.” The national stand was focused on the modern non-fiction from “Comora,” “Duh i litera,” “Vivat” and other publishing houses. These books were intended to help understand what Ukraine is living: its recent history, culture, and most importantly – the causes of the war with Russia. Visitors could learn how to participate in the programs of the Ukrainian Book Institute for translators (Translate Ukraine 2022 and Drahoman Prize), as well as where to read the catalogs of Ukrainian publishers copyrights.

At the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Ukraine took a different approach and presented an empty stand manifesto. The Ukrainian book community turned to its colleagues from other countries for support to return to the fair next year. As at other fairs, in Bologna, there was an opportunity to get acquainted with translation programs and catalogs of rights.

The slogan of the Ukrainian stand at the Warzawa Book Fair was ‘Thanks, Poland! / Dziękujemy, Polsko!’ Organizers wanted to show their gratitude to the Polish people for their help and support in this hard time. The assortment of the stand was focused on the literature on modern Ukrainian culture. Visitors could get acquainted with books from the publishers “Fabula,” “Chorni Vivzi,” “Nash Format,” “Vydavnytstvo” and many others. Meetings with Ukrainian writers were also held at the fair: Oksana Zabuzhko, Victoria Amelina, Tamara Orikha-Zernya, Lyubov Yakymchuk, Kateryna Kalytko, and Ukrainian Book Institute director Oleksandra Koval. In particular, there were discussions about the state of the Ukrainian book market and the possibilities of its support.

In all the activities, publishers and writers tried to convey one thing – Ukraine is at war for survival, so it needs the support of the entire democratic world. Everyone can contribute to the victory, and the first step will be to learn about Ukrainian culture.