You're reading: Ukrainian fiction waits for foreign breakthrough

Cambridge University graduate Maria Montague loves Ukrainian literature, but complains that it's difficult to find contemporary Ukrainian fiction in British bookstores.

“Apart from Andriy Kurkov’s novels, I’ve never seen any Ukrainian literature in British bookstores. The English translations of Ukrainian works that I have read were all from my university library,” she says.

Montague isn’t alone. In many European countries it’s hard to find contemporary Ukrainian literature. The Ukrainian government doesn’t do much to promote national culture, the nation lacks adequate financing and it has a shortage of professional, Ukrainian-language manuscript readers who can advise publishers abroad on Ukrainian works they could translate and sell.

Ukrainian contemporary writer Oksana Zabuzhko, whose books have been published in 20 countries, pins some of the blame for the poor exposure of Ukrainian literature abroad on the Ukrainian state. “Ukrainian authors will remain out of view on the global market until Ukraine as a state offers its own clear narrative to the world,” Zabuzhko says.

Still, the books of the Ukrainian authors who have broken into the European market, like those of Zabuzhko, Andriy Kurkov, Serhiy Zhadan, Mariya Matios, Liubko Deresh, Iren Rozdobudko and Yurii Andrukhovych, are popular, experts says. And with that popularity comes good money.

Publisher Anetta Antonenko, who has been promoting Ukrainian authors in Europe for more than 10 years, says books by Ukrainian authors generally have print runs of 3,000 – 4,000 copies. The authors get approximately 9,000 euros for each print run, according to Antonenko.

But these Ukrainian writers are exceptions. Many others can only dream about recognition from European readers and critics. While modern Ukrainian literature has a lot more to offer to the European market, the lack of government promotion makes it hard to achieve success, Antonenko says.

“We’re beating our heads against the wall,” she says in frustration. “We should be taking part in international book fairs in London, Paris and Frankfurt, but the government’s doing nothing.”

Oleksiy Kononenko, the head of the publishing and press department of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, the Ukrainian state media regulator, says that for two years the government hasn’t allocated any money to promote Ukrainian books at international fairs.

“They say all the money was spent on the (war) in the east of Ukraine, and there’s no money for culture,” Kononenko sighs.

Financial problems, lack of promotion of Ukrainian culture out of the country and shortage of professional manuscript readers in Europe prevent many Ukrainian contemporary writers from gaining a wider readership abroad. (AFP)

However, this year the government has allocated Hr 1 million ($47,370) for a 100-square meter stand to present Ukrainian books at the Frankfurt book fair from Oct. 14 -18, he told the Kyiv Post.

Financial problems and lack of support from the state aside, the lack of knowledge of Ukrainian language and culture in Europe in the publishing business is also an obstacle to Ukrainian literature gaining a wider readership abroad.

Vitaliy Kapranov, a Ukrainian writer and co-owner of the Zeleny Pes (Green Dog) publishing house, says there is a huge shortage of professional manuscript readers in Europe who, besides knowing Ukrainian, are familiar with Ukrainian culture and can understand the context of a book by a Ukrainian author in order to recommend it to a publisher.

“Unfortunately Ukrainian literature is viewed through the prism of Russian literature. Many know Russian and even Ukrainian, but all of them are raised on Russian culture and literature, which is why contemporary Ukrainian literature has no chance to break through those people to a (European) publisher,” Kapranov says.

One country that could serve as a “back door” into the European market for Ukrainian authors is neighboring Poland. The country has lots of professional readers who know Ukrainian language and culture, and as a result Ukrainian fiction is reasonably popular there. From Poland, Ukrainian authors get exposure in the German book market, and from there, in turn, the works of Ukrainian authors become known in Austria and France, Kapranov says.

German publishing house Suhrkamp has for more than 10 years published books by Yurii Andrukhovych, Liubko Deresh, Taras Prokhasko, Mykola Ryabchuk and Serhiy Zhadan.

“Since we started to publish Ukrainian literature in 2002, the number of copies sold has been constantly rising,” says Katharina Raabe, an editor at Suhrkamp for literature from Eastern Europe. “Writers like Serhiy Zhadan and Yurii Andrukhovych go on extensive reading tours, and are always much in demand for interviews with the German media.”

But other European publishers, fearing potential losses, aren’t so willing to take a chance on Ukrainian fiction, Antonenko says. To promote its writers, Ukraine needs to set up an institution similar to the Polish Book Institute or France’s Centre National du Livre, which promote national literatures by giving grants to foreign publishers, compensating them for the costs of producing translations and purchasing authors’ rights, experts say.

In fact, Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Knyazhytsky recently co-authored and registered in parliament a draft bill, which, if adopted, would set up a Ukrainian Book Institute to provide financial support to domestic publishing houses and book distribution.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authors and publishers are largely left to fend for themselves – to promote their books abroad they have to find sponsors, translators, book agents and cover all these costs from their own pockets. Antonenko is preparing to present some new Ukrainian authors to foreign publishers at the Frankfurt book fair, and dreams that Ukrainian contemporary literature will become well-known to British and Scandinavian readers soon. But the prospect of making money from any breakthrough remains distant.

“Ukrainian publishers don’t earn money from promoting our writers to foreign publishers,” Antonenko says.

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]