Words Under Siege: Translating and Publishing Ukrainian Literature in a Time of War

Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute
34 Kirkland St.
Cambridge
Tue., Oct. 6, 2026, 12 – 1:30 p.m.



Ukrainian literature in translation remained a niche pursuit from the nineteenth century through the Soviet era. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, translation has become both a cultural strategy and an act of political will, unfolding alongside domestic devastation: missile strikes have incinerated millions of books, while authors and publishing professionals face mobilization or death at the front. This lecture traces Ukrainian literature in translation—from early English editions to Drahoman Prize laureates—while examining how Ukraine's publishing industry adapts and operates under active war.

Gazette Classification: Lecture
Organization/Sponsor: Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute
Speaker(s): Marta Gosovska, Visiting Scholar at HURI and Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Department at Laboratoria Publishing House, Ukraine, Chaired by Oleh Kotsyuba, Director of Print and Digital Publications at HURI
Contact Info: [email protected]
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: www.huri.harvard.edu…