eprintid: 10206592
rev_number: 11
eprint_status: archive
userid: 654
dir: disk0/10/20/65/92
datestamp: 2025-03-26 16:36:11
lastmod: 2025-04-11 06:10:08
status_changed: 2025-03-26 16:36:11
type: proceedings_section
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Vardanian, Maryna
title: Ukrainian culture (re)imagined: children's literature and translation in wartime
ispublished: pub
keywords: Ukrainian culture, children’s literature, translation, war, cultural diplomacy, globalization
note: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
abstract: The chapter focuses on the study of children’s literature translations,
which play a significant role in shaping and reinterpreting images of Ukrainian culture,
especially in the context of war. The analysis includes the canon of Ukrainian authors, themes, genres, and illustrations of works translated from or into Ukrainian, which contribute to the global representation of Ukrainian culture and language. Special attention is paid to the impact of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on the development and changes in translation activity, particularly in the selection of works for translation.
The chapter examines three main aspects: the features of translation from the Soviet
and Diasporic writings of the twentieth century, the contemporary children’s translation
publishing market, and international translation and publishing projects. The first section
is devoted to the Ukrainian e-libraries Chtyvo and Diasporiana, which preserve children’s
books from both the Dnipro and Veselka publishing houses, as well as translations from
various Ukrainian diasporic publishers. This section demonstrates that translations
of children’s literature from the Soviet and Diasporic publishers were largely based on
Ukrainian themes, forming Ukraine’s self-image through folklore, history, and moral-ethical
themes. The second section examines the modern translation market, noting the growing
popularity of Ukrainian children’s books, especially those dealing with themes of war,
refugees, and environment. The third section is concerned with international projects,
including Translate Ukraine, World Kid Lit, Pineapple Lane, and BookaBooka, which
actively promote the spread of Ukrainian children’s literature on a global scale, emphasizing
the importance of Ukrainian language and culture in the global literary polysystem. The
section examines how these translations influence the formation of Ukraine’s self-image
within the global cultural polysystem, which images of Ukrainian culture become dominant,
and how translations affect the perception of Ukrainian literature abroad. The conclusions
show that translated children’s literature serves as an effective tool of cultural diplomacy,
contributing to the international recognition and dissemination of Ukrainian culture and
the affirmation of its unique identity in a globalized world.
date: 2025-04-11
publisher: Uzhhorod National University = ДВНЗ "Ужгородський національний університет"
official_url: https://www.uzhnu.edu.ua/en/
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
doi: 10.14324/000.ch.10206592
isbn_13: 978-617-8390-78-5
full_text_status: public
place_of_pub: Uzhhorod, Ukraine
pagerange: 14-31
event_title: Languages and Cultures in Times of War: (Im)possible, (Re)imagined, (Un)manageable
book_title: Мови та культури під час війни: Колективна монографія = Languages and cultures in times of war: Collective monograph
editors_name: Shumytska, Halyna
editors_name: Krouglov, Alex
citation:        Vardanian, Maryna;      (2025)    Ukrainian culture (re)imagined: children's literature and translation in wartime.                     In: Shumytska, Halyna and Krouglov, Alex, (eds.) Мови та культури під час війни: Колективна монографія = Languages and cultures in times of war: Collective monograph.  (pp. pp. 14-31).  Uzhhorod National University = ДВНЗ "Ужгородський національний університет": Uzhhorod, Ukraine.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206592/1/Vardanian_paper3.pdf