The French version of Chapter Ukraine launched, featuring over 100 books from 34 publishers, making Ukrainian literature more accessible in translation across libraries and bookstores.
The French version of Chapter Ukraine launched — a digital platform compiling comprehensive information on Ukrainian books available in translation. This is already the catalogue’s fourth language edition, reports LB.ua.
The initial French section features over 100 books from 34 Ukrainian publishers.
According to one of the project’s initiators, Iryna Baturevych, the Ukrainian Desjardins Fund helped create and test the catalogue by supporting Ukraine’s presence at the Montreal Book Fair:
“Thanks to this project, not only we but everyone else can easily find Ukrainian-language publications that can be ordered through local libraries or bookstores.”
The catalogue is curated by experts who select titles based on clear criteria: professional translation; print run and availability for sale; reader reviews on international platforms (Goodreads, etc.); critical reviews in the media; and a clear distribution system.
The organizers encourage Ukrainian communities to send lists of selected titles to French-speaking libraries and bookstores so that by the anniversary of the full-scale invasion on February 24, themed shelves with Ukrainian literature appear in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada.
“We have already seen how it works: thanks to the catalogue, Ukrainian collections have appeared in Montreal libraries. This proves that a single proactive community can change a country’s visibility in the larger book ecosystem,” emphasizes Olga Holovko, co-founder of the Ukrainian Club of Montreal.
In addition to French, the platform already has English, German, and Spanish versions.
Project expert group: Olga Holovko, Iryna Baturevych, Yevheniia Viatchaninova, and Natalia Pylypchuk.
