Ukraine at Leipzig Book Fair 2025
Ukraine continues to struggle for its freedom and cultural identity - a fight that is associated with great sacrifices. How the war is changing the country and how Ukrainian authors are processing this existential experience in literature is reflected in numerous events at Leipzig Book Fair. The Ukrainian stage and "Café Europa" showcase the impressive artistic range of a nation that is fighting imperturbable for its future.
The grand opening of the Ukrainian stand will take place on March 27 at 10:15 am. The opening speech by Ukrainian journalist and human rights activist Maksym Butkevych is eagerly awaited. Among others, Claudia Roth, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, will also give a short welcoming speech.
Butkevych volunteered for military service after Russia's attack on Ukraine, was taken prisoner of war by the Russians and was later released in a prisoner exchange. In his book “In the right place - A Ukrainian peace activist at war” (Anthea), he describes why he joined the military as an anti-militarist. On March 28, he will read from it and share his experiences of violence, dignity and resistance.
Journalist Pavlo Kazarin also joined the Ukrainian armed forces at the start of the war. On March 28, he will present his collection of essays “The Wild West of Eastern Europe. The Ukrainian way out of the empire” (ibidem). In it, he traces the Ukrainian transformation from a post-Soviet country with a divided identity to an outpost of Europe.
On March 27, Stanislaw Assejew talks to journalist Sabine Adler about his experiences in a Russian torture prison and literature as resistance. The writer was abducted by Russian occupiers in Donetsk and was detained for almost three years. His book “Bright Way, Donezk” (Suhrkamp) is a powerful testimony to the systematic violence and inhumane prison conditions in Russian camps.
On March 27, writer and filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk will describe her life during the war at a reading of her book “Thin ice” (Meridian Czernowitz). On March 28, she and the authors Khrystyna Kozlovska, Kateryna Michalizyna and Halyna Petrosanyak will discuss the question of where you find the strength to speak when you are at a loss for words. Each experiences the war in her own way: as a soldier, as a mother fearing for the lives of her children, as a speechless friend or as a daughter trying to reassure her parents.
Unfortunately, the Ukrainian poet and author Victoria Amelina did not survive. She was killed in a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk in 2023. On March 28, publisher Andreas Rostek and writer Kateryna Michalizyna will present her posthumously published book “Looking at women looking at the war” (edition.fotoTAPETA), in which Amelina accompanies people who document Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Writer Oksana Sabuschko talks about the independence movement in Ukraine and the long-prepared Russian war of aggression. On March 29, she will read from her essay “The longest book tour” (Droschl). It was written after the author wanted to set off for a two-day book presentation in Poland one day before the Russian invasion in 2022 - and has since given countless speeches and interviews for media from all over the world.
The Russian occupation and the accompanying everyday looting, violence and destruction is the subject of the Ukrainian bestseller “Donetsk Girl” (Mauke) by Tamara Duda. The author and two of the three translators, Lukas Joura and Annegret Becker, will present the book on the occasion of its first publication in German on March 30.
The poetry collection "Babyn Jar. Voices" (Suhrkamp) from Marianna Kijanowska takes us back to a dark past: To the year 1941, where a massacre of 33.000 jewish men, women and children happened. In the poetry collection the author lets fictional people speak on the way to their deaths - an important contribution to the Ukrainian culture of remembrance. The reading and discussion will take place on March 28.
On March 29, the deputy director of the Ukrainian Institute Alim Alijew and journalist Sevhil Musajewa will provide insights into the history and current situation of the Crimean Tatars. For their book “Mustafa Dschemilew. Conversations with an indomitable man” (Mauke), they collected interviews with Dschemilew, a key figure in the Crimean Tatar independence movement.
Programme on Ukraine at Leipzig Book Fair 2025
Programme at the Ukraine stand (Hall 4 / Stand D309)
Programme at Leipzig Book Fair with a focus on all events on the topic of Ukraine
Visitors will find Ukraine's stand in Hall 4, D309. There will also be selected events at "Café Europa" in Hall 4, E401. At both venues, Leipzig Book Fair will bring important voices from Ukraine to the stage, providing moving insights into a country at war and presenting numerous new german translations of Ukrainian works.
The diverse programme was curated by the Goethe-Institut Ukraine in cooperation with the Ukrainian Book Institute, the Ukrainian Institute and the Meridian Czernowitz Literature Festival. The Ukrainian stand is supported by the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Chancellery. The events are funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Parts of the programme are supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and translit e.V.
This project is co-financed from tax funds based on the budget passed by the members of the Parliament of the Free State of Saxony.
Statement of the Book Fair Directors
The Conference of International Book Fair Directors strongly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the creator of platforms where publishers, writers, agents, translators and illustrators can interact and engage openly and where free expression and critical voices are cherished, we categorically deplore the Russian regime’s use of force. We cannot remain either silent or indifferent to Russia’s transformation of Ukraine into a killing field. We, therefore, resolve to suspend contact with Russian state institutions and agencies and invite publishers and authors from Ukraine to exhibit in our fairs at no cost.
Signed by the International Book Fairs of Bologna, Frankfurt, Warsaw, Prague, Brussels, Guadalajara, Jerusalem, Gothenburg, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Taipei, Seoul, Leipzig and Budapest.