This year, Ukraine participated for the first time in one of the largest book fairs in the world, Liber. It is the leading Spanish-language platform for the publishing industry in Europe.
From October 1 to 3, a national stand was set up in Barcelona, where 13 Ukrainian publishing houses presented their books, including Vivat, Chas Maistiv, Folio, Ranok, Bohdan, ASSA, the OVO literary agency, and Vydavnytstvo Staroho Leva.
The Ukrainian’s stand was organized by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Barcelona, Ukrainian Book Institute, the Frontera literary platform, Algorytm platform, and Whitebit.
The organizers of Ukraine's participation in Liber aimed to showcase the resilience of Ukraine's publishing industry during the ongoing war, promote translations of Ukrainian works into Spanish, present new books for international publication, and establish personal connections with professionals in the Spanish-speaking publishing world.
Ukrainian writer Irena Karpa says that such events are crucial because there is a significant lack of Ukrainian voices in the Spanish-speaking world.
“People connect with emotional stories because they are empathetic. We need to be heard in the media. I and others are working on this in France. We need to amplify it. There are few Catalan translators in Barcelona. Ukraine must expand its soft power. Private initiatives are not enough. The state, foundations and businesses must work together."
Frontera Literary Platform helped organise the national stand and discussions at the fair. This was the team's first international event of this scale, aiming to increase Ukraine's visibility in the Spanish-speaking world.
For reference: The Algorytm platform supports the development of creative industries. In February 2024, we signed a memorandum with the Frontera literary platform to jointly promote contemporary Ukrainian literature worldwide and demonstrate that Ukrainian authors produce high-quality, competitive works.
Our first major joint project was the IV International Frontera Festival.