Enhancing Ukrainian-Latvian cultural exchange through literature

Literary Dialogues: Enhancing Ukrainian-Latvian cultural exchange through literature

     In times of war and displacement, culture often becomes one of the strongest threads connecting people across borders. In Latvia, Ukrainian scholar and curator Maria Rozova has taken this idea to heart. Through her literary initiative "Literary Dialogues: Enhancing Ukrainian-Latvian Cultural Exchange through Literature", supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Rozova has been working tirelessly to build bridges between Ukrainian and Latvian communities. What follows is her personal reflection on this journey, written exclusively for our readers:

    “Since March 2025, I have been working intensively on the implementation of the cultural project Literary Dialogues: Enhancing Ukrainian-Latvian Cultural Exchange through Literature, supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia. This project is more than a professional assignment for me – it is a deeply personal commitment to fostering human connection through literature, especially in a time when both words and identities carry tremendous weight.

    Over the past three years of living in Latvia, I have actively studied local cultural traditions and taken part in numerous academic and cultural events. I’ve attended conferences in Gulbene, participated in programs at the National Library and Riga City Library, and joined literary events organized by the publishing house and bookstore network Jānis Roze. These encounters allowed me to immerse myself in Latvian cultural life while reflecting on how Ukrainian voices could find a place within it.

    This year, I dedicated special attention to exploring the visibility and presence of Ukrainian literature in Latvia. With the growing Ukrainian community here — many of whom long to read in their native language, while also learning about Latvian culture — I saw the need for meaningful literary outreach. In collaboration with the Jānis Roze team, we launched several volunteer-based projects. These included online meetings with Ukrainian authors, where Latvian audiences could engage with modern Ukrainian literature firsthand. We also organized the donation of Ukrainian books to Latvian libraries, helping both Ukrainians and Latvians gain better access to contemporary Ukrainian voices.

   Our collaboration with Jānis Roze — a publishing house with a genuinely generous and thoughtful spirit — has been especially fruitful. We witnessed a remarkable moment: several significant Ukrainian titles were released in Latvian translation. These works are cultural gestures, inviting dialogue across language, memory, and experience.

    Among them is Nejauša brīnuma biogrāfija by Tanja Maljartschuk, a poetic reflection on history and chance, Melleņu lācis: sapņotāju kalendārs by Anastasija Volhovska and Jana Fefelova, a dreamlike, illustrated calendar of creative resilience and Internāts by Serhij Žadan, a raw and powerful novel that brings the emotional reality of Ukraine’s war-affected youth into vivid focus.

    One of the most warmly received books has been To the Singing of Birds: A Private Journey to Myself by Ukrainian author Oleg Krishtal. This introspective and deeply human narrative has resonated strongly with Latvian readers, who have shown great interest in both the story and the author behind it. It is worth noting that proceeds from the sale of Professor Krishtal’s books are donated to charitable causes. His gesture of generosity adds another layer of meaning to the literary exchange — transforming each book purchased into an act of solidarity. Through these texts — and the events surrounding them — we have created not only literary visibility, but also emotional resonance. We’ve started conversations that matter.

   In the months to come, I plan to continue organizing public readings and discussions of Ukrainian literature, expanding the network of libraries that carry Ukrainian books, and taking part in cultural festivals across Latvia. Online encounters with Ukrainian writers will also continue, helping our community stay connected across space and language. Working under this grant has given me a structure and a platform, but most of all, it has given me the motivation to keep going. Literature allows us to listen to each other without interruption, without defense. It allows us to feel what others feel, and to imagine a common future. And in a world that often divides, I believe that is the kind of work worth doing.

     I continue to develop the Literary Dialogues project with renewed energy and vision. In the months ahead, I plan to organize more public literary events — both in person and online — where Ukrainian and Latvian readers can come together to discuss, reflect, and connect. These meetings will highlight Ukrainian literary voices and deepen the cultural dialogue that this project was built to sustain. Our shared story is still being written — one page, one conversation at a time.”