5,000 copies of ‘A Brief History of a Long War’ were sold in France in just two months

The French edition of the comic book “A Brief History of a Long War” by artist and cultural historian Mariam Naiem and illustrators Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida sold 5,000 copies in its first two months on the market.

According to Lilia Omelyanenko, co-founder of the Vydavnytstvo publishing, the copyright holders have not yet provided a full report on sales for the past year, so the exact print run of the French edition is currently unknown. At the same time, she believes it totals at least 10,000 copies.

“We didn’t expect such popularity. On the other hand, it is important to keep in mind that French-speaking countries have a long tradition of bandes dessinées (comic books), with thousands of titles released each year and dozens of bandes dessinées for different ages and preferences in each household. In contrast with Ukraine, where this art form is not widespread,” Omelyanenko said.

The French edition was published by Robinson, part of France’s largest publishing group Hachette Livre, and is available to readers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and other French-speaking countries. It is important to note that the French translation was published earlier than the Ukrainian original, which is an unprecedented case for Vydavnytstvo.

“This graphic novel tells the story of the Ukrainian long war with Russia. Throughout the years of the full-scale invasion, many accounts have appeared, including graphic ones, where foreigners discuss our conflict, and yet we are the ones living it. It was important for us to share this story ourselves so that both we and outsiders could see it through our perspective, the way we feel it. This work serves as a reminder that, historically, wars are never simple, but on a personal level, the question is straightforward: will I survive or not?” the annotation reads.

The rights to the novel have already been sold to Poland (Timof) and Finland (Tammi). According to Omelyanenko, Finnish, Polish, Czech, and German translations have already been published. “English, Estonian, Kartvelian, and Danish translations are also planned,” Omelyanenko said.

The book will be published on Jan. 27, 2026, by Ten Speed Graphic, an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest publishing company. This is only the second time in the history of Ukrainian books that rights have been acquired by the American market.

RELATED: ‘A Brief History of a Long War of Ukraine with russia’ to debut in France ahead of Ukrainian edition

Copy editing: Sheri Liguori