On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, the HUCUS Foundation announced the official launch of the Ukrainian Literature and Scholarship Program. The initiative is designed to support the translation of Ukrainian works into English, strengthen editorial infrastructure, advance research on Ukraine, and promote Ukrainian books among a broad readership in the United States and around the world.
This was reported by the the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States and HUCUS Foundation founder Oleksii Prokopenko..
The first book published as part of the newly launched program was Sofia Andrukhovych’s novel “Felix Austria” in English translation, with a foreword by Vitaly Chernetsky.
“We are pleased to announce the official launch of the HUCUS Foundation’s Ukrainian Literature and Scholarship Program, created to support the publication and translation of Ukrainian literature into English, as well as research on Ukraine, and to bring these works to a broad readership in the United States and far beyond… For our team, this is an especially meaningful and symbolic moment. As Ukraine marks the 35th anniversary of its Independence, we are launching this program with great joy and hope — confident that it will strengthen Ukraine’s voice around the world,” Oleksii Prokopenko said, calling on publishers, translators, and philanthropists to join efforts to build sustainable infrastructure for promoting Ukrainian books.
The initiative is being implemented in close cooperation with the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI), with the support of Oleg Kotsyuba, Director of Publications for Print and Digital Media. Under a memorandum signed with HURI, the program provides not only funding for translations, but also support for projects such as the Ukrainian Book Challenge and the Translating Ukraine Summer Institute.
Program partners and donors also include the forPEACE Foundation, Margret Ellwanger, Alina Kalyna (Kim), CEO of Altex Logistics, as well as members of the HUCUS Foundation Board and Advisory Council.
“Ukrainian literature carries our history, identity, and culture. Bringing Ukrainian books to English-speaking readers helps this voice resonate far beyond Ukraine. This is especially important today, when Russian missiles and drones are attacking Ukrainian libraries, printing houses, and other cultural institutions, attempting to destroy not only our cultural heritage, but also the very channels through which the Ukrainian word reaches its readers. Ukrainian literature and scholarship give people around the world an opportunity to discover Ukraine through the voices of its writers and researchers,” emphasized Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine Denys Sienik.
Photo: ukr.embassy.usa
Author: Inna Mikhno