European Authors Day launches month-long reading campaign across nearly 40 countries, including Ukraine

The 2026 edition of the European Authors Day #ReadForReal campaign runs from Nov. 11 to Dec. 12, bringing together readers, writers, illustrators and translators across almost 40 countries. The organisers have highlighted friendship and togetherness as inspiration for events, encouraging people to build connections through books, face-to-face conversations and shared experiences beyond digital spaces.

In Ukraine, the Ukrainian Book Institute serves as the initiative’s national hub. It has invited libraries, educational institutions, bookshops, publishers and cultural organisations to host their own activities.

Organisers can register their events on the campaign’s website and access free downloadable materials. The Ukrainian Book Institute can also provide printed promotional materials upon request, with recipients covering delivery costs.

The institute will also hold its National Children’s Literature Reading Week from Dec. 7–13 in connection with the initiative, drawing attention to children’s reading and the development of reading habits from an early age.

One of this year’s international programmes is the European Authors Tour, which connects writers and readers across national borders. According to the organisers’ programme, Ukraine is scheduled to host online meetings with Norwegian author Håkon Marcus on Dec. 12 and Polish writer Agnieszka Mielech, whose event date has yet to be confirmed.

Ukrainian illustrator Polina Doroshenko is also scheduled to participate in the tour, with events planned in Zaandam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Nov. 28. In Rotterdam, she will join Ukrainian children’s author Yuliia Lakhtionova for a creative workshop at the Ukrainian House, where children aged 7–10 will explore how books and characters are created before making their own book-games. Doroshenko was among eight Ukrainian illustrators shortlisted for the 2026 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition.

In Germany, Ukrainian writers Halyna Vdovychenko and Nataliia Hraivoronska will take part in a Ukrainian-German literary event at Wuppertal Central Library on Dec. 4. The programme, organised in cooperation with Lerche Kids e.V., a local cultural association supporting Ukrainian-German cultural activities for children, will feature bilingual readings of Ukrainian poetry and stories, musical performances and creative activities for children. Vdovychenko, known for her children’s book series “36 and 6 Cats,” and Hraivoronska will read from works exploring memories of Ukraine and life in Germany.

The international programme also includes events in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia and other participating countries. The schedule of registered activities is available on the official campaign website.

European Authors Day was established by the European Commission in 2023 to promote reading, European literature and linguistic diversity, particularly among younger audiences. Since 2025, the initiative has been coordinated by a consortium of seven European organisations, with co-funding from the EU’s Creative Europe programme. The 2025 edition brought together more than 300,000 participants through 6,573 events in 34 countries, including Ukraine.

As reported earlier, a June 2026 Ukrainian study conducted by Gradus Research in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and the Believe in Yourself Foundation found that access to books, direct contact with authors and social environments where reading becomes part of everyday life were important factors in encouraging reading. The research also highlighted the limitations of communication campaigns that are not accompanied by improvements in access to books.

Main image: European Commission / European Authors Day