From 22 to 25 October, the international book fair Helsinki International Book Fair 2026 took place in Helsinki. The Ukrainian stand was presented by the Association of Ukrainians in Finland (Ukrainalaisten yhdistys Suomessa ry). The Ukrainian Book Institute reported this.
The stand featured 19 Ukrainian publishers. Among them were Ranok, Knyholav, Svichado, Ukraïner, Vydavnytstvo, ARTBOOKS, ASSA, Apriori, Vivat, The Old Lion Publishing House, A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, Gaudeamus, Son-Trava, Thames & Hudson, RODOVID Press, Osnovy, Komora, Meridian Czernowitz and Aula&Co.
According to the organisers, the Association of Ukrainians in Finland (AUF) has been running a Festival of Ukrainian Culture since 2023. According to Iryna Horkun-Silen, AUF’s cultural coordinator, each year Finland invites Ukrainian writers, translators and publishers, creating opportunities for professional networking and international partnerships. In particular, several books by Ukrainian authors were translated and published in Finnish following introductions and contacts initiated during cultural events.
Among the authors taking part in the fair this year were Viktoriia and Pavlo Matiusha. They presented the book «Letters of Love and War» and discussed it with Lukas Stasevskyi. The book tells a story of love, separation and maintaining closeness during wartime.
Writer and serviceman Illarion Pavliuk joined an online conversation with Ilmari Käihkö about literature, war and the Ukrainian experience. The meeting was prompted by the Finnish translation of the novel «I See You’re Interested in Darkness» («Näen että teitä kiinnostaa pimeys»).
Yurko Zub spoke about translating Finnish literature into Ukrainian and his work on the Ukrainian translation of Mika Waltari’s novel «Sinuhe egyptiläinen».