How to enter the French book market? An interview with Iryna Dmytrychyn, Drahomán Prize laureate

For almost 30 years, Iryna Dmytrychyn has been working to get Ukrainian literature noticed in the rather locked French national book market. Eastern European literature is often overshadowed by Russian culture, which is not so easy to reverse, but Iryna Dmytrychyn’s effort is an example of how systematic “rayonnement” can change the situation.

Iryna Dmytrychyn is a translator and winner of the Drahomán Prize 2022 (a prize that recognizes translators from Ukrainian into world languages who promote Ukrainian culture), an author and researcher, commentator and expert for key French media, and the head of Ukrainian studies at the French National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO).

We met in Paris to discuss the French book market, how it works, and how to break into it. We also covered the effectiveness of promoting national literature, whether you need an agent, and why people study Ukrainian at the best language university in France.

We strongly believe that Iryna Dmytrychyn’s experience will be useful for anyone who wants to reach readers in the French market. The interview was made possible by the Chytomo Club. Thank you for your support!

Chytomo: How did you start translating, and when exactly did you realize there’s a need to translate Ukrainian literature into French?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: I came to France to study back in the 1990s. There was neither Ukrainian translators nor great interest in Ukraine back then. Ukraine was seen as part of Russia.

Ukraine appeared as a surprise to everyone except for Ukrainians themselves. When establishing communication between French and Ukrainian became necessary for business, politics, and culture, it turned out that there were no translators.

Chytomo: You are also a teacher and a historian. Which role — teacher, historian, or translator — do you consider most important?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: In French, there is a beautiful word: “rayonnement,” which means “influence” or “outreach.” Rayonnement is when information about Ukrainian literature or history breaks the false narratives established by Russian propaganda. For me, rayonnement is the key to representing our country and giving it a voice.

Experts from Russia and Eastern Europe have predominantly spoken for Ukraine. Ukrainians, and experts from Ukraine, weren’t asked to speak on behalf their country, culture or identity.

RELATED: A Mouthful of Air: The Power of Poetry in a Time of War

I’ll give you an example: In an outburst of solidarity, when a French publisher wanted to reprint works by Taras Shevchenko (a key poet of Ukrainian literary canon), he turned to a well-known expert on Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Russian literature to write the foreword. His reasons behind this decision are unknown. Even today, Ukraine and Ukrainian culture is identified with Russia. There is also a general lack of understanding as to why this is, which is completely unacceptable. It has been and still is extremely important to distinguish and convey the Ukrainian point of view.

Chytomo: The need for translations from Ukrainian became crucial in the first years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Even though interest in Ukrainian literature began to emerge, we can imagine that a general lack of awareness made your work extremely difficult. How did you manage to change this?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: It was deeply upsetting to me that back in the 2000s, there was nothing Ukrainian on the market. With a colleague of mine, history teacher Yaroslav Lebedynsky, we created a Ukrainian collection at L’Harmattan publishing house called “Présence Ukrainienne.” “L’Ukraine vue par les ecrivains ukrainiens” was my first attempt at literary translation. It was a bilingual publication that included fiction excerpts of Ukrainian historical events, nature, and characteristic traits.

Chytomo: Who is included in this anthology?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: Ukrainian authors of the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries (Marko Vovchok, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Mykola Khvylovy, and others). This anthology is still being read and reprinted. I enjoyed selecting the excerpts to discover and show Ukraine to a certain extent through my eyes. Today we have published more than 40 books in this series.

See the complete list here.

Eventful, locked and tight: How the French book market works

Chytomo: A complete grasp of how the French market works seems crucial — the market appears eventful but less exclusive than the British book market. We recently published a review mentioning that translated literature consistently accounts for 16% of the French book market. That said, what is your take on the French market?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: You’re right about the tightness of the English-language market and that the French market is generally locked. Looking at the percentage of translations on the market, the biggest chunk are translations from English — the most widespread Slavic languages receive a very small percentage while Russian and Polish translations take the largest share. Balkan literature is also on the rise today.

As a rule, the requirements for translated literature are very high, so only the “top shelf titles” are within publishers’ field of vision. English-language literature is an exception because it is written according to “recipes” that have worked and will work.

The main difference between the French and the British markets is that the UK has well-developed literary agencies; the French market is beginning to follow suit. Many contemporary Ukrainian authors have entered the French market thanks to the work of professional agents who understand the advantages and difficulties of publishing translated works. Today, I know of two agency bureaus in France that promote Ukrainian authors: Ovo and Volska.

The Ukrainian poet Lyubov Yakymchuk’s publication in French highlights the benefits of having an agent: Several publishers competed for the right to publish her. With the help of her agent, Yakymchuk chose Edition des Femmes. This is a very ideological publishing house with a long history of women’s rights protection. It also has a tradition of recording audiobooks performed by famous actresses. The audiobook of “Apricots of Donbas” (a collection of Yakymchuk’s poetry) was recorded by Catherine Deneuve.

RELATED: Martin Pollack: Those against supplying weapons to Ukraine don’t quite understand what pacifism means

Chytomo: Why do you think such a low percentage of translated literature (Ukrainian literature in particular) makes it to the French market — is it because publishers do not want to risk investing in unknown names?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: When a book enters the French market, it competes with authors from around the world. It’s not necessarily that a Ukrainian book will get more or less interest, and it’s not about rejection or blocking Ukrainian literature. It’s healthy competition.

If a French publisher considers themselves to be a connoisseur of literature and they have never heard of or read a single Ukrainian author, it is normal that they would come to the conclusion: “If I don’t know about it, it doesn’t exist.”

This means that publishers have to question their own expertise and knowledge. They have to realize that if they haven’t read Ukrainian literature, it isn’t because it doesn’t exist or isn’t worthy. It’s simply because historical circumstances have made it impossible for this text to enter the French market.

Chytomo: Do Russian authors face the same problems in France?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: I am convinced that any Russian writer trying to break into the French market will immediately be seen as a potential successor to Mykola Gogol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, etc. In other words, they lean on the shoulders of the “giants” and have an advantage over other authors seeking French translation and publication.

Chytomo: You mentioned the advantage contemporary Russian authors have from the legacy of great authors like Gogol. But Gogol is a Ukrainian author. 

Iryna Dmytrychyn: Yes, we obviously need to talk about why Gogol wrote in Russian. Under other circumstances, he would have written in Ukrainian. I always like to emphasize that Mykola Gogol and Taras Shevchenko were contemporaries — we can see what different paths these writers chose. Shevchenko became a national genius, the alpha and omega of our literature, history, and identity, while Gogol became a world-famous writer. I think that Shevchenko consciously chose this path. And Gogol probably did the same, either out of mercantile desires, the desire for fame, or because he saw no other option. It is so important to understand the colonial context under which Gogol wrote and published in Russian.

“What is it that we don’t know about Ukraine?”

Chytomo: You have translated many contemporary writers from Ukraine, including Sofia Andrukhovych, Serhiy Zhadan, Maria Matios, and Oksana Zabuzhko. What has changed? 

Iryna Dmytrychyn: I completed those translations before the full-scale invasion. These authors were translated and published during the first cohort of Ukrainian authors accepted to the French market. After February 24, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine, the French realized that they knew nothing about us. The question became: Why did Ukraine, which everyone thought would fall, survive? What is it that we do not know about this nation? What better filter is there for understanding a country than its literature? All the publishers I worked with at the time said that they had sold out of their copies of Ukrainian books and printed new ones. 2022 was the year when Ukrainian books began to be in high demand.

“Grey Bees” and “Diary” by Andrey Kurkov, “Internat” by Serhiy Zhadan, and books by Markiyan Kamysh, Lyuba Yakymchuk, Sofia Andrukhovych, and Artem Chapeye have been published since 2022.

Charitable projects sprang up in response to Russia’s invasion, such as the “Hommage de l’Ukraine” collection and other spontaneous individual projects that address current specific and difficult circumstances.

Today we are returning to a more normal standard, which means publishers will consider publication based on literary and artistic criteria. The period when the Russian language was considered sufficient to speak on behalf of the “post-Soviet space” is finally gone.

Chytomo: You teach at INALCO (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations). Could you tell us who your students are and how they became interested in Ukrainian studies?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: When new students come to us, I ask them about their motivation. One of the students said that during his volunteer work, his Ukrainian friends gave him the song “Cranes” by The Hardkiss. He enjoyed it so much that he decided he had to learn the language. That reply really impressed me.

A major reason students are attracted to this field is because Ukraine has European prospects and longings. Our students and future language specialists will have the opportunity to work with Ukraine on a European or bilateral level.

Students who come to us to learn the Ukrainian language understand that in today’s circumstances, they need to access various documents and primary sources — it isn’t appropriate to limit oneself to Russian. The Russian language is no longer sufficient for working in the “post-Soviet space.”

Many institutions are beginning to think about opening Ukrainian studies. The Sorbonne University has begun taking great interest in this.

Chytomo: How popular are Ukrainian studies among other European languages?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: Among the 18 languages at the Europe Department, we have the fifth largest number of students. These very high numbers are caused by the war, obviously. But I hope that interest in Ukraine will not wane even after the current hostilities end.

Chytomo: What is your take on France’s interest in Ukraine?

Iryna Dmytrychyn: I believe in long-term work. We Ukrainians are defending our independence, democracy, and freedom. In France, the desire for freedom is very strong. I like to recall a phrase by Voltaire from the History of Charles XII, which dates back to the early 18th century, “Ukraine has always aspired to be free.” Ukraine has consistently shown a great desire to be independent, and we are fighting for our rights to this day. This is very appealing to the French.

If you liked this post, please join the Chytomo Club — with your support, we will be able to prepare further publications with ambassadors of Ukrainian literature, as well as talk about Ukrainian culture in English. You can also support us with a one-time coffee purchase.

Translation: Iryna Saviuk
Copy editing: Lea Ann Douglas, Terra Friedman King