The Frankfurt Book Fair (“Frankfurter Buchmesse”) which runs until October 23, 2022 gives pride of place to the Ukrainian literary scene. Many authors and illustrators have made the trip to defend the culture of their country at war.
Illustrator Oleg Gryshchenko is part of the imposing cohort of artists who have made the trip from Ukraine despite the difficulties. “I didn’t join the army, but we can fight with our art”, he explains to AFP, on the sidelines of an exhibition of photos by the group of Ukrainian illustrators Pictoric. “Many Ukrainian artists have joined the army and I’m proud of that – but I’m better at drawing than with a gun”he admits.
The 37-year-old illustrator traveled 17 hours on the bus with fellow illustrator Olena Staranchuk. “We have to be here to represent Ukraine”, he confides. The installation of Ukraine’s large stand at the conference center, which will welcome tens of thousands of visitors and thousands of exhibitors this week, was also a major challenge.
Furniture and books had to travel overland to reach Frankfurt, and it was difficult to get everything out of kyiv when the city was exposed to Russian bombardment, said Sofia Cheliak of the Ukrainian Institute of Books. “It takes about two days to transport them from kyiv to Frankfurt”according to Sofia Cheliak. “Because of the attacks, everything was closed. It was quite difficult to find a car and organize the whole process.”
The stand features a wide range of Ukrainian books in all literary genres and also a stage, above which a bright red light flashes as air raid sirens go off in Ukraine.
Forty-six Ukrainian publishers are taking part in the five-day fair, which started on Tuesday, as well as many authors, such as the famous “punk poet” Sergiy Zhadan, and other actors of the literary scene. Ukrainian officials consider this type of event to be essential in countering Russian attempts to erase the country’s identity.
“Russia uses culture as a weapon”, observes Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko in a video message, accusing Moscow forces of burning Ukrainian books and replacing them with Russian literature. “Russia is fighting against the Ukrainian people and our identity”.
Russian state institutions, usually responsible for their country’s stand, have been banned. Opponents of President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, are welcome.
After the Russian invasion in February, the Ukrainian publishing industry, like many others, froze, only to come back to life. Sales are not at pre-conflict levels, but some themes are doing well, including books on Ukrainian history and dealing with trauma, details Sofia Cheliak.
The Pictoric collective sees the fair as a chance to show the world that Ukraine is not just about conflict. Some of the works on display are inspired by the fighting, but other illustrations date from before the war and provide insight into the country’s creative diversity.
“A lot of people didn’t know anything about Ukraine, and now we have the chance to show them what Ukraine is,” rejoices one of the group’s illustrators, Anna Sarvira. “For a long time we stayed in the shadow of Russia… We are trying to change that.”