Yesterday at 19:59
The latest issue of the Swedish literary and art magazine 20TAL is entirely dedicated to Ukrainian writers. The editors note that this is the most extensive issue in the magazine’s history, with Ukraine as its sole theme. This was announced in the issue preview on the publication’s website.
The cover of the magazine features the slogan “Ukraine Looks Forward” and a quote from writer Serhiy Zhadan: “To talk about the future is to believe in it,” translated into Swedish.
“In this issue, Ukrainian authors write about humour, poetry, humanitarian aid, history, dance, cinema, and images. They explore how the small joys of everyday life and uplifting solidarity must find a place even in the most terrible circumstances,” reads the preview.
The latest issue includes an essay by literary critic Olena Haleta on Ukrainian literature from the 18th century to the present, an essay by writer Oksana Zabuzhko, an interview with writer Serhiy Zhadan, an interview by Swedish poet Ida Börjel with poet and soldier Artur Drone, an article by critic Darya Lysenko on poster art as a form of resistance in the work of artist Nikita Titov, and an essay by Ostap Slyvynsky on the “Dictionary of War” project, based on testimonies from Ukrainians affected by Russian military aggression. The magazine also features works by Ukrainian writers who have perished during the Russian war.
This is not the first issue of 20TAL dedicated to Ukraine. Ten years ago, the magazine released an issue featuring 25 Ukrainian authors, which did not gain much popularity at the time. However, there is now a growing interest in Ukrainian literature in Sweden, and it is expected that the latest issue of 20TAL will sell out completely.
It is worth noting that The Gaze published a selection of the best poetry collections by Ukrainian authors in foreign translations, highlighting that the publication of Ukrainian books abroad has finally gained stability in recent years. Neither the COVID-19 crisis nor the full-scale war initiated by Russia in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, which continues to this day, have hindered these processes.
