Books

Ukrainian books in Irish libraries: solace and shelter for refugees amid wartime upheaval

Refugees face many challenges, including language barriers and a feeling of nostalgia for home. In such a stressful situation, people look for a source of comfort - which books can provide

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska speaking during the presentation of her work The Barrier-Free Handbook at the international book fair, Frankfurt, Germany, in October 2022. Photograph: Ronald Wittek/EPA

Iryna Kovalchuk
Sat Jan 27 2024 - 05:15

In the departure lounge of Lublin Airport in Poland last October, as I waited for my flight to Dublin, I noticed a teenage girl reading a Ukrainian translation of Happy People Read Books and Drink Coffee, by Agnès Martin-Lugand. We talked a little and she showed me other books she had packed for her journey to Ireland. This short conversation made me reflect on how the girl’s small library, carefully transported across several national borders, testified to the crucial role played by books in providing refugees with a familiar anchor in an unfamiliar land.

My name is Iryna Kovalchuk. Until the Russians invaded Ukraine in February 2022, I was an assistant professor at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv, Ukraine. Following the outbreak of war, I was one of millions of Ukrainians who left their settled lives behind and headed into uncertain futures. My long journey through Europe led me to Ireland. As a Ukrainian researcher forced to flee my war-torn country, I found solace and a new intellectual place in the heart of Ireland’s rich academic and cultural landscape.

Refugees arriving in Ireland often face many challenges, including language barriers, cultural differences and a feeling of nostalgia for home. In such a stressful situation, people look for a source of comfort and solace. Books bring some comfort. In Ireland, now, Ukrainian books serve as a refuge, allowing Ukrainians such as myself to maintain a connection with their cultural roots, fostering a sense of belonging to their homeland regardless of the upheavals of displacement.

The significance of books as a cultural bridge is recognised by the Ukrainian Bookshelf project, launched in March 2022 by Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine. The project was planned before the full-scale war, with an initial aim to promote Ukrainian literature in the original and in translation in the world’s largest libraries, to popularise Ukrainian literature globally and to develop cultural ties between countries.

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Since the Russian invasion, the mission of the project has changed: its current goal is to protect Ukrainian culture from Russian aggression and to provide Ukrainians forced to flee to various countries with books in their native language, with the idea that books serve as bearers of national memory. Zelenska has expressed the hope that Ukrainian refugees living abroad will be able to find a book in their native language and “feel that the Motherland is close, at the distance of a book”.

Ukrainian literature, with its distinct voice and narrative, allows readers to cross geographical boundaries and connect with the universal themes of human experience

Since the launch of the project, 190 Ukrainian bookshelves have already opened in libraries in 45 countries worldwide. The project has collected more than 45,000 books in Ukrainian and in translation and delivered them to libraries worldwide. The first Ukrainian bookshelves appeared in Austria, Latvia, the Netherlands and France. Then the project was launched in Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. This month, Ukrainian bookshelves appeared in Denmark and Argentina.

Dr Iryna Kovalchuk, a researcher at UCD, contributing to the project Imaginative Literature and Social Trust, 1990-2025. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

The Ukrainian bookshelves are now appearing in places where Ukrainians have settled since the beginning of the Russian invasion as a response to growing demand from the large Ukrainian community. According to the Ukrainian Bookshelves Worldwide survey, Ukrainian bookshelves can be found in six counties in Ireland: in Dublin, Sligo, Donegal, Clare, Kerry and Limerick. More than 1,200 Ukrainian books in the original form and in translation are available in eight libraries in Dublin alone. Irish libraries have collected Ukrainian books for many years, though the current situation has boosted this activity.

Irish libraries have diversified their collections by introducing a range of Ukrainian literature in translation and in the original, from classic works by Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko and Lesya Ukrainka to contemporary novels by Andrey Kurkov, Oksana Zabuzhko, Viktoria Amelina, Max Kidruk and Serhiy Zhadan, and from children’s fairytales to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s biography. These books offer readers an insight into the rich tapestry of Ukrainian culture, history, philosophy and storytelling traditions. Many libraries, community centres and educational institutions have collaborated to organise events that celebrate Ukrainian literature, inviting authors for talks, book readings and discussions. These initiatives inspire both the Irish and Ukrainians to come together, share their stories, find common ground through literature and understand each other better.

[ ‘It feels like I lost part of myself’: Ukrainian professionals struggle to find work ]

Cultural exchange through literature is a powerful means of fostering mutual understanding and appreciation among diverse communities. Ukrainian books provide Irish readers with a unique opportunity to explore a rich and dramatic literary tradition that may be unfamiliar to many. This exchange not only broadens perspectives but also promotes a sense of global interconnection and interdependence. Ukrainian literature, with its distinct voice and narrative, contributes to this process and allows readers to cross geographical boundaries and connect with the universal themes of human experience.

There is certainly drama in Ukrainian cultural life right now. As of late November 2023, 1,750 objects of cultural infrastructure, including 613 libraries, have been destroyed, damaged or occupied, according to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. “Russia is destroying our libraries – several hundred already, including school libraries,” Zelenska has lamented. “However, culture and books, in particular, have not only a material dimension. This is something that cannot be destroyed by missiles and bombs.”

Ukrainian books in Irish libraries thus mean more than just extended library catalogues and a wider selection for readers. Welcoming a Ukrainian bookshelf to Limerick, Cllr Gerald Mitchell, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, emphasised “the power of literature and the universal need for access to knowledge and culture” and compared a bookshelf with “a bridge connecting diverse cultures”. These words reflect the essence of books to represent a commitment to cultural exchange, understanding and the recognition of literature as a powerful tool for integration and interconnection.

[ ‘After I go back, I want to tell Ukrainian people about the kindness of Irish people’ ]

Ireland and Ukraine have both experienced famine, emigration and waves of economic and political hardship. As Ireland welcomes diversity, the presence of Ukrainian literature in the country’s libraries is evidence of the power of books to build bridges and foster empathy among people from different backgrounds but with similar histories.

Dr Iryna Kovalchuk is a researcher at University College Dublin, contributing to the project Imaginative Literature and Social Trust, 1990-2025. Her work is funded by the Irish Researcher Council’s Ukrainian Researcher Scheme

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