Translating Central-Europe to Swedish

ongoing

This project aims to bring critical literary voices from Eastern and Central Europe to Swedish readers, with a strong emphasis on Ukraine and the war’s impact on culture, memory, and artistic freedom. By translating and publishing five significant works from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland, and Germany, we seek to foster a greater understanding of the historical and contemporary struggles of these regions, particularly in light of war, displacement, and authoritarianism. The selected works offer diverse literary narratives that reflect the profound experiences of exile, resistance, and survival. Ukraine stands at the heart of this initiative, with two of the featured authors directly addressing the war’s human and cultural consequences. Through this project, we strive to ensure that voices from Ukraine and its neighboring regions are heard, understood, and engaged with across Sweden. The authors and books chosen for this project represent a powerful intersection of literature and history, each contributing to our understanding of conflict, resilience, and cultural identity. Beyond translation and publication, this project ensures widespread public engagement through live events, media exposure, and direct interaction between authors and readers. A central component of the initiative is the participation of the authors at the Gothenburg Book Fair in September 2026. By facilitating these interactions, we aim to embed these works into Swedish literary discourse, creating long-term awareness of the stories and struggles of Eastern and Central Europe. With Ukraine at the forefront of Europe’s geopolitical crisis, this project responds to an urgent need to amplify Ukrainian voices in literature and highlight how war affects cultural identity and artistic expression. The inclusion of Polish, Bulgarian, and German authors adds depth to the discussion, showing how different nations grapple with historical trauma, authoritarianism, and war’s long-term consequences.