The Warsaw Book Fair, to be held from 25 to 28 May in the Palace of Culture and Science promises to be one of the most significant literary events of the year. This year’s edition will attract nearly 500 exhibitors from Poland and 14 other countries, including the guest of honour, Ukraine. Organised by the History and Culture Foundation, the fair will also attract nearly 1,000 authors, translators, illustrators, and other professionals involved in the publishing industry.
This year’s fair provides an opportunity to showcase a rich range of contemporary Ukrainian literature under the theme ‘Millions of Bridges’. The event aims to highlight the consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has devastated cities and affected many citizens. However, this aggression has, paradoxically, helped to build millions of bridges between Poles and Ukrainians. The solidarity, hospitality, and heart of the Poles helped Ukrainians to keep the faith in the struggle.
At the Ukraine Fair, there will be a national stand where books in Ukrainian from 45 different publishers will be available. There will also be an opportunity to meet with authors and representatives of the literary world and make industry contacts. There will also be a bookshop with books by Ukrainian authors in Polish translation and publications about Ukraine at the stand in the main hall of the PKiN.
Among the many guests from Ukraine will be well-known authors such as Yuriy Andrukhovych, Ostap Sływynski, Yuriy Vynnychuk, Svitlana Taratorina, Kateryna Babkina and Halyna Kruk. Ukrainian publishers will share their experiences of the first year of the war and the changes they had to make in their business. The fair will also feature activities for children, performances by Ukrainian musicians on an open-air stage and an exhibition of posters entitled “Ukraine Yesterday and Today” by the authors of the “Ukraine. ‘Ukraine Yesterday and Today’ by the Pictoric art collective.
As part of the ‘Power of the Word – Polish-Ukrainian Literary Dialogues’ festival, meetings and discussions between writers, journalists and intellectuals from Poland and Ukraine will be held. The meetings will be held both in Polish and Ukrainian.