Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday at the world’s largest publishing event made an impassioned call for authors to write about the “terror” unleashed by the invasion of Russia.
War-torn Ukraine takes center stage at this year’s Frankfurt book fair, with several authors and industry figures appearing at the major fair throughout the week.
“Instead of importing culture, Russia is importing death,” Zelensky said in a video speech at the fair. “So I beg you, please do everything you can to inform people about the terror that Russia has brought to Ukraine.”
“Knowledge is the answer,” he continued. “Books, documentary scripts, articles, reports – these are the answers,” he stressed.
Zelensky’s wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, is expected to appear in person on Saturday and speak at a side event.
Organizers and attendees see these high-profile events as key to promoting Ukrainian culture in light of what they say are attempts to tarnish the country’s identity with Russian propaganda.
Meanwhile, Russian state institutions, which generally have the scaffolding were banned from their country, with prominent opponents of President Vladimir Putin on the podium.
“Lack of knowledge”
In his speech, Zelensky also addressed those who did not speak out to condemn the Russian aggression. “We have to be direct: there are still many public figures in Europe who encourage understanding of Russia,” he said.
“These people are present in different spheres: politics, business, NGOs and the media. Why is this possible? The only answer is a lack of knowledge.”
Speaking to a panel of Russian opposition figures, Leonid Volkov, a key ally of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, said Putin’s partial mobilization had fueled growing internal discontent with the conflict. “After September 21 – after the mobilization – a lot has changed,” he said, adding that the measure woke up the country’s “sleeping majority”.
“The idea of not asking questions about politics so that a normal quality of life is possible has now come to an end. People are now wondering ‘why is my father, brother, son going to this war?’?” he added.
Russian dissidents were welcomed enthusiastically during his speech and the scaffolding from Ukraine also attracted a steady crowd of visitors to the fair.
“Fight with art”
Sofia Cheliak, from the Book Institute of Ukraine, which is part of the Ministry of Culture, emphasized the efforts of players of Ukrainian industry to participate in the fair.
Getting furniture and books overland to Frankfurt was a big challenge, said Cheliak, who helped organize the scaffolding. “Everything was shut down because of the attacks. It was very difficult to find a car and organize the whole process,” he said.
But the scaffolding is there, with a great variety of Ukrainian books of all kinds. It also has a podium, above which a large red light flashes when the air-raid sirens sound in Ukraine.
Forty-six Ukrainian publishers are taking part in the five-day fair, which runs through Sunday. Among the many authors present is the well-known “punk poet” Sergiy Zhadan.
And while the Ukrainian publishing industry initially came to a standstill after the invasion of Russia in February, it has since bounced back to life.
Sales may not be what they were before the conflict, but certain types of books are becoming popular, Cheliak said. These include books on Ukrainian history and dealing with trauma.
One Ukrainian who went to great lengths to participate in the fair was the illustrator Oleg Gryshchenko, who took a 17-hour bus ride and a flight to reach Frankfurt. He saw this as his way of opposing Putin’s Russia.
“I didn’t join the army, but we can fight with our art,” Gryshchenko, 37, told AFP at a photo exhibition by Ukrainian illustrator group Picctoric.
“Many Ukrainian artists have joined the army and I’m proud – but I’m better at drawing than with a gun.”
Gryshchenko, who traveled with his girlfriend, who is also an illustrator, said the trip was exhausting, but they felt they had to show up. “I would even travel 20 or 30 hours,” he said.
Source: DN
