Ambassador of Ukraine to Sweden Svitlana Zalishchuk took part in the Gothenburg Book Fair (Bokmässan Göteborg), where two days of meetings and professional discussions focused on strengthening Ukrainian-Swedish cooperation in literature and culture.

The Gothenburg Book Fair is the Nordic region’s largest cultural event of its kind and one of Europe’s major book fairs. Each year, it brings together more than 80,000 visitors, over 800 exhibitors and around 2,500 participants from approximately 40 countries, with some 4,000 programme events.

Ukraine has a strong presence at the Fair. This year, two Ukrainian stands – organised by the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden and Ukraine Culture Now – served as important meeting points for readers, publishers, writers and cultural professionals.

A key part of the programme featured Ukrainian poets Artur Dron and Iryna Shuvalova. Their appearances, organised by the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden, presented contemporary Ukrainian poetry in Ukrainian alongside Swedish translations. The readings and discussions explored contemporary Ukrainian poetry and its place beyond the immediate context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Writer Ostap Ukrainets spoke about identity, language and contemporary Ukrainian literature, as well as the role of literature in enabling Swedish readers to discover Ukraine through Ukrainian voices, stories and perspectives.

The Fair also offered an opportunity to discover new Ukrainian publications and translations, including Ukrainian Folk Tales, published by the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden with the support of the Swedish Arts Council.

Further developing cooperation between Ukrainian and Swedish publishing communities was another important focus of the discussions. Practical priorities include facilitating contacts between publishers, improving access to information about Ukrainian books, supporting cooperation on translation rights, and creating more opportunities for Ukrainian authors to reach Swedish readers.

The interest in Ukrainian literature in Sweden is clear and growing. Swedish readers are increasingly interested in Ukrainian authors, stories and contemporary literary developments, while Ukrainian publishers and cultural institutions are ready to expand cooperation with Swedish partners.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Sweden will continue to support these connections and initiatives aimed at bringing more Ukrainian books, authors and voices to readers in Sweden.