“Ukrainian Book Shelf” launched in Katowice, Poland

“Ukrainian Book Shelf” has been launched at the Silesian Voivodeship Library in Katowice. 

During the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Mr. Viacheslav Voinarovskyi, Consul General of Ukraine in Kraków, Artur Madaliński, the director of the library, and the deputy head of the Katowice branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland, Petro Kormylo.

According to Voinarovskyi, the opening of the book shelf was not just a cultural event, but a gesture of gratitude to the Polish people for their support of Ukrainians, especially of women and children who have found refuge in Silesia.

“We are opening a bookshelf, but it is more like a full-fledged section of the library. This is a symbolic event, taking place under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska,” the ambassador noted.

The library features a collection of contemporary and classic Ukrainian literature, children’s books, reference guides, and works on history, culture, and identity. The selection was made over several months, coordinated by Valentyna Kuzmin, the Vice Consul of Ukraine in Kraków.

Madaliński noted that “war destroys dignity, dehumanizes, and brings out the worst in people. Literature, on the other hand, tries to restore that.” He added that books in the Ukrainian language are a “marker of identity” for the large Ukrainian community in Katowice.

The initiative was brought to life with the support of Ukrainian publishers Vikhola, #knigolav, Ranok, Posvit, distributor Barnabus Books, translator Yulia Kryval, literature promoter Yevheniya Zaval, writer Mila Radchenko, and scholar Pavlo Levchuk.

The opening of the “Ukrainian Book Shelf” in Katowice is part of a broader cultural and diplomatic project organized by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, and the Ukrainian Book Institute.

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Photo credit: Ukraine Embassy in Kraków

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn