Photo by Iryna Kalamurza
From October 1 to 3, Barcelona hosted the large-scale book fair Liber, featuring over 250 publishers from 13 countries and attracting more than 6,500 visitors. This year, Ukraine was represented for the first time at the main Spanish-language platform in Europe for publishing.
During the event, the Ukrainian national stand, presented by 13 domestic publishers, was visited by the Consul General of Ukraine in Barcelona, Artem Vorobyov, Spain's Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of Spain, José Manuel Albares, representatives of the Catalan government, and the mayors of Barcelona and Hospitalet.
According to Oleg Hraboletskiy, Consul of the General Consulate of Ukraine in Barcelona (Kingdom of Spain), the organizers aimed to showcase the activities of the publishing industry in Ukraine amid the ongoing war, present translations of Ukrainian works into Spanish, propose new books for publication, and establish personal contacts with professionals in the Spanish-language publishing industry. A notable example of collaboration was the recent first translation of Serhiy Zhadan's novel "Internat" into Catalan.
During the fair, a panel discussion titled "Can Literature Change Anything?" took place, featuring both foreign and Ukrainian authors. The discussion was moderated by Tatiana Teren, Executive Director of PEN Ukraine, journalist, and cultural manager. Participants discussed the role of propaganda and disinformation in war, understanding historical memory, the importance of language in uniting rather than dividing society, and literature as a weapon of freedom that helps fight against lies and tyranny.
The next "Liber" book fair will be held from October 1 to 3, 2025, in Madrid.
The organizers of Ukraine's participation in "Liber" included the General Consulate of Ukraine in Barcelona (Kingdom of Spain), the Ukrainian Book Institute, the literary platform "Frontera," the platform "Algorithm of Actions," and the company Whitebit.
