A speech by human rights activist and former political prisoner Maksym Butkevych will open the Ukrainian stand at this year's Leipzig Book Fair on March 27 at 10:15 am. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth, Leipzig's Mayor of Culture Dr. Skadi Jennicke and Book Fair Director Astrid Böhmisch will also be present. Over four days, the war-torn country will present itself as a haven for a still lively and resilient literary scene. The program will focus on the challenges of the war for Europe and Ukrainian society as well as the history and experiences of the Crimean Tatars
Maksym Butkevych will present his latest work, as will the Ukrainian journalist Pavlo Kazarin, who has been serving as a soldier since 2022. Another highlight is the book presentation about the Crimean Tatar human rights activist and former chairman of the Medjlis (parliament) of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemiliev. In addition, the new German translation of the book by Ukrainian writer Viktoria Amelina, who died in a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk in 2023, will be presented. Other new publications include the new book by Marianna Kijanowska "Babyn Jar. Voices" and "Donetsk Girl" by Tamara Duda.
Other important guests at the Ukraine stand (No. D309, Hall 4) are writer and director Iryna Tsilyk, author and former political prisoner Stanislav Aseyev and author Oksana Sabushko. New German translations of Ukrainian works will also be presented by publishers such as Suhrkamp, edition fotoTapeta and Verlag Friedrich Mauke. In addition, the cultural institute Mystetskyj Arsenal and the Pictoric Illustrator Club are presenting the exhibition "Life at the Limit", which shows illustrations by Ukrainian and international artists. The full programme can be found online at www.goethe.de/ukraine.
The Ukraine Stage and its programme are organized by the Goethe-Institut Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute and funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the Saxon State Chancellery and the City of Leipzig. Parts of the program are supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the translit e.V. association.
Overall, Ukraine's participation in the Leipzig Book Fair 2025 impressively demonstrates that literature has a strong voice even in difficult times. The diverse events and important guests contribute to strengthening the country's cultural identity and making it internationally visible.
Programme highlights at a glance
Thursday, 27. March
12:00: Lecture by literary scholar Yaryna Tsymbal on the "shot rebirth" of the 1920s in Ukraine.
13:00: Presentation of the book Heller Weg - Zeugnisse des Abgrunds menschlichen Bösen by Stanislaw Asejew.
14:00: Talk with the director and writer Iryna Tsilyk.
15:30: Discussion with the translator Lidia Nagel and publisher Matthias Naumann about Ukrainian drama.
Friday, March 28
10:00 am: Reading with Iryna Tsilyk, Chrystyna Kozlovska, Kateryna Michalizyna and Halyna Petrosanjak.
13:30: Presentation of the German translation of Viktoria Amelina's book by publisher Andreas Rostek and author Kateryna Michalizyna.
14:20: Panel discussion on the role of European literature in the war with Natalka Sniadanko, Oksana Sabuschko and Finnish journalist Taina Tervonen.
15:30: Talk with Pavlo Kazarin about his essay collection Wild West of Eastern Europe.
16:30: Discussion about Maksym Butkevych's book In the Right Place: A Ukrainian Peace Activist at War.
Saturday, 29. March
11:00 am, Café Europa: Book presentation Mustafa Dschemiljew with Alim Alijew, Sewhil Musajewa and Franziska Davies.
16:30 pm: Panel "Kampf um die Wahrheit - Disinformation im Krieg" with Sewhil Musajewa, Stanislaw Asejew and Gwendolyn Sasse.
Sunday, 30. March
12:00, Café Europa: Discussion "Keyword: Freedom - Who are we after all this?" with Maksym Butkevych, Stanislav Aseyev, Pavlo Kazarin, Vladimir Balzer and Tamara Duda.
14:00: Presentation of the novel Donetsk Girl by Tamara Duda, accompanied by the translators Annegret Becker and Lukas Jura.
