Ukrainian-language publishers hold first Children's Book Fair in Kyiv (06/18/06)

Ukrainian-language publishers hold first Children's Book Fair in Kyiv

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - More than 60 Ukrainian-language publishers held the first Kyiv Children's Book Fair at the Ukrainian Home in European Square between May 31 and June 3.

Such initiatives, sponsored by the Publishers Forum, come at a critical time when eastern and southern Ukrainians are rebelling against the Ukrainian language, voting to make Russian a regional language in three oblasts and five major cities.

Most recently, on June 6, Donetsk celebrated Russian Language Day during which the Party of the Regions donated 10,000 Russian-language books to the oblast's libraries.

"We're thinking about Ukraine's future - children's books," said Mykola Zhulynskyi, chair of the President's National Council for Cultural and Spiritual Issues.

"Everything has to be done to support Ukrainian books in the Ukrainian language as having priority in the Ukrainian nation. For such books, conditions are necessary in which a publisher isn't struggling to realize his goals," he said.

The Ukrainian government doesn't track the precise number of Ukrainian-language books, or children books, on the market, said Oleksandra Koval, president of the Publishers Forum, a citizens' group that promotes Ukrainian-language books and literature.

It doesn't even track how many Ukrainian-language books it buys with government money, she added.

About 70 Ukrainian publishers print children books in the Ukrainian language, Ms. Koval said.

Attending the book fair, Vice Prime Minister Viacheslav Kyrylenko said Ukrainian-language publishers are continuing to increase their production. However, they are in direct competition with their Russian counterparts, who continue to dominate the publishing market in Ukraine.

Sales of Ukrainian books topped 54 million last year, compared with 70 million Russian books sold, Mr. Kyrylenko said.

"In such conditions, we aren't able to defend the domestic market nor ensure publication of the necessary supply of children's books in Ukrainian, which is the language of teaching in schools and institutions of higher education," he said.

President Yushchenko has appointed an investigative committee on book publishing and distribution to consider imposing import quotas.

"I think that approach is one of the most effective instruments to defend the domestic market," Mr. Kyrylenko said. "It's not about limiting languages, but any book that comes to Ukraine from outside. Until we defend the Ukrainian publisher, we can't talk about a new tempo of developing Ukrainian literature."

Import duties currently exist. Nevertheless, Russian books make it into Ukraine and evade such duties through the so-called "gray market," said Ivan Malkovych, president of A-Ba-Ba-Ha-La-Ma-Ha, a leading publisher whose product line includes the Ukrainian-language version of the Harry Potter series.

Without import duties, Russian books are less expensive than Ukrainian books because they're published in larger volumes, he explained.

"We need to defend our mass media and level out rights and prices so that Ukrainian publishers don't feel like Cinderellas in their native land," Mr. Malkovych said.

The Ukrainian government should also be taking an active role in buying contemporary Ukrainian-language books, he said. "That would renew children's appreciation for libraries so that, when they go there, they won't find some antiquated books about Soviet Pioneers and Lenin, but new, contemporary books for children," said Mr. Malkovych, a member of the National Council for Cultural and Spiritual Issues.

The Ukrainian government is committed to doing everything to defend Ukrainian publishers so that all Ukrainian children have access to books, Mr. Kyrylenko said.

But before imposing any import duties, the Ukrainian government will consult the Ministry of the Economy, as well as ensure that it won't be violating any international obligations, he noted.

Attending the book fair was one of the biggest contributors to contemporary Ukrainian culture, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, lead singer of the rock band Okean Elzy.

He donated $10,000 to a charity that will distribute new children's books to orphanages and village libraries.

As a boy, Mr. Vakarchuk said he read "Winnie the Pooh" books by A.A. Milne, The Surprising Adventures of Baron Manchausen by Jeff Thomann and Lewis Carroll books.

Ukrainians not interested in reading is a far bigger problem than a lack of books however, he said. Ukrainian publishers are progressing, he said, but distribution and interest in books is lagging.

"If we don't read, we will become a nation of people with instincts, rather than people with intellect," Mr. Vakarchuk said. "The strength of the nation depends on learning and education."

Yet another challenge in the Ukrainian children's book marketplace is the fact that few Ukrainian-born authors are writing such books.

Ms. Koval of the Publishers Forum estimated that 15 or 20 Ukrainian children's book authors are currently writing.

Mr. Vakarchuk admitted that he himself wasn't aware of any Ukrainian authors writing for children, only those who translate classics.

In addition, many of the books selling at the fair were translations of Western contemporary authors, such as J.K. Rowling and Alice Hoffman.

About 600 new titles of children's books are published annually in Ukraine, which is "a drop in the ocean," Ms. Koval said.

If the government does introduce quotas to limit books from the Russian Federation, Ukrainian publishers have to be prepared to fill the subsequent vacuum, she said. "We need cheaper credit or investment," she said.

Yet another challenge is the fact that only 500 bookstores operate in all of Ukraine, Ms. Koval added.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Ihor Likhovyi said the administration is considering a proposal to open government enterprises that would operate bookstores in oblast centers.

The problem is so dire that Odesa hasn't a single Ukrainian bookstore, he said.

Whatever plans the Yushchenko government may have to support Ukrainian-language publishers, the consensus among industry leaders is that it's done nothing so far.

"The conditions practically haven't changed," Ms. Koval said. "The one thing is publishers have been freed from a profit tax. But bookstores continue to be lacking."

Nevertheless, Ukrainian-language publishers are selling more books and the market is improving, Mr. Malkovych said.

Even if the Orange Revolution hasn't yet changed the laws and economic conditions that publishers operate under, it certainly changed attitudes and re-awakened Ukrainian culture, he observed.

"In this atmosphere, the Ukrainian publisher feels more comfortable," Mr. Malkovych said. "He is starting to have the illusion that he's needed here and that he's involved in something beneficial."

Books weren't the only Ukrainian-language media at the fair.

Atlantic Project is a Kyiv-based company that produces animated, educational games for children between the ages of 5 and 12.

The Atlantic "Children's Collection" CD-ROMs are interactive games on subjects such as Ukrainian history, ancient Rome, the ancient Orient, ancient Greece and the history of inventions and discoveries.

Each disc consists of riddles, rhymes, tongue twisters, games and cartoons. A test must be passed after each of eight levels in order to advance.

Atlantic began creating such games a year ago when its programmers realized that Ukraine has yet to create a Ukrainian-language computer environment for children.

"Even when a child is born into a Ukrainian-speaking family, they view exclusively Russian-language games or English-language programs," said Yurii Handzyuk, the director of Atlantic.

In the coming months, the company will release games on world history, famous composers, animals of Ukraine, icons of Ukraine and other subjects.

Professors at the Institute of International Relations at Shevchenko State University of Kyiv verified the historical accuracy of the information, Mr. Handzyuk said.

(For more information visit http://www.atlantic-records.com.ua.)

The Ukrainian Forum is a group of concerned citizens who organized the children's book fair with the help of the Ukrainian Home, which donated use of its premises.

The group's main event, the 13th annual Publishers Forum Book Fair, will be held at the Arts Palace on September 14-17 in Lviv. For more information visit http://www.bookforum.com.ua.

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