France

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

29.01.2025

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The graphic novel “A Brief History of a Long War” by artist and cultural historian Mariam Naiem and illustrators Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida will be published in French.

 

“One of the most unprecedented events for Vydavnytstvo is the release of the French translation of ‘A Short History of a Long War’ even before the Ukrainian edition! This is the first time in our history that a translation will be published before the original,” commented Lilia Omelyanenko, co-founder of Vydavnytstvo.

 

The graphic novel will be released in February 2025 under the imprint of Robinson, part of France’s largest publishing group, Hachette Livre. The edition will be available to readers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, and other French-speaking countries.

 

“Here is a reminder that from a historical point of view, wars are never simple stories, but from a personal point of view, it is a simple question: will I live or not? The historical context of the russian-Ukrainian war, from the Middle Ages to modern Ukraine, emphasizes the ongoing nature of the conflict, its political roots and parallels in time. And, of course, this book is about our lives now, because behind every conflict there are real people with real stories, forever changed by the chaos of war,” reads the book description. 

 

Oleksandr Mykhed, author of “The Language of War,” described the book as “comprehensive, scary, intelligent narrative about the events that have shaped us in the past and now leave unhealed wounds on our history. And life.”

Vydavnytstvo website reports that publishing rights have already been sold to the Polish graphic novel publisher Timof and one of Finland’s largest publishing houses, Tammi.

 

The Ukrainian-language edition of the graphic novel, along with the English edition, is set to be released in spring 2025 by Vydavnytstvo.

 

Vydavnytstvo is a Ukrainian mid-sized independent publishing house with a social focus on human rights, equality, minorities, adulthood, death, and other important social issues. They were the first to publish Ukrainian editions of acclaimed graphic novels like “Maus” by Art Spiegelman, “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, and other significant works. In 2024, Vydavnytstvo publishing house received the KyivPride Award for “Friendly Business”.

 

Robinson is an imprint of Hachette Livre, originally launched in 1936 as a weekly comic magazine. It has been reintroduced in a new format, focusing on original works, collaborations with established authors, and support for new creators. The catalog includes graphic novels, comics on historical and crime themes, serialized works, and titles for younger readers. Robinson also republishes notable comics from earlier periods, such as Steve Canyon by Milton Caniff and Akim. 

 

RELATED: India, Slovakia, USA, Austria: New translations abroad

 

Copy editing: Ben Angel

Main image: collage by Chytomo

Images: Vydavnytstvo, Calameo