++++ MEDIA INFORMATION ++
International translation initiative #FreeAllWords wins Lithuanian Writers‘ Union as it’s partner
• Lithuanian Writers‘ Union is the new partner of #freeallwords•
• Works by Toni Lashden, Nataliya Belchenko, Nadia Havyliuk and Anatol Khinevich are now available in German, Finnish, Spanish and English.
• „Language as Identity“ book fair talk on Oct. 20, 2022, with Marjana Gaponenko, Nicole Pfister Fetz and Nina George
Brussels/Berlin, October 20, 2022
#FreeAllWords, the international support project of the European Writers‘ Council (EWC) for Belarusian and Ukrainian authors will take stock it’s in a press briefing at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 20th, 2022.
In the meantime, 71 translators from 24 countries with experience in translating works from Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian are working for the donation-based text and translation fund. The latest addition is Lithuanian writer, poet and translator Artūras Valionis. Another international partner, the Lithuanian Writers‘ Union (Lietuvos rašytoju sajunga), has now joined the project.
The international advisory board of the initiative has also confirmed the translation of four more authors from Ukraine and Belarus. New works by Ukrainian writers Nataliya Belchenko and Nadia Havyliuk have been published in Spanish, Finnish and English. Also, a work by Belarusian poet and singer Anatol Khinevich is now available to read in English and Finnish. Khinevich was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in 2020 for resisting National Guard soldiers during the peaceful protest in Minsk in September 2020. He is serving his sentence in a penal colony and writes poetry in prison. German readers can look forward to a text by Belarusian journalist and fem activist Toni Lashden. All texts and translations can be read at www.freeallwords.org.
#FreeAllWords at the Frankfurt Book Fair
The Ukrainian writer Marjana Gaponenko, the Secretary General of the Swiss Writers‘ Association A*dS Nicole Pfister Fetz, as well as the President of the European Writers‘ Council Nina George, will inform listeners about the concerns, goals and results of the donation-based text and translation fund. The event is also dedicated to the topic of „Language as Identity“ and sheds light on what it means when language, the most important instrument of authors, is forcibly erased.
Talk and subsequent press round: „Language as Identity“
October 20, 2022, 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Frankfurt Book Fair, Hall 4.0, Stand G 82, Association of German Writers (VS).
The event will be streamed live on the channel of the Association of German Writers (VS) at Twitch.tv: vsschriftstellerverband – Twitch.
Marjana Gaponenko, Nicole Pfister Fetz and Nina George will be available for press questions afterwards, and for one-on-one interviews upon request.
About #FreeAllWords
The #FreeAllWords text and translation fund is a joint support project for Belarusian and Ukrainian writers of all genres and is organized under the umbrella of the European Writers‘ Council (EWC) . #FreeAllWords was initiated by the authors‘ associations A*dS (Authors of Switzerland), Forfatterforbundet (Norway), and the Community of Belarusian Writers (Belarus).
Within the framework of #FreeAllWords, short, topical, existing as well as original texts, interviews, reports, essays, poems and other literary forms are to be translated into European and international languages and disseminated through a wide variety of communication channels – digital, print, blogs, media, etc.
The authors‘ and translators‘ fees are paid from the #FreeAllWords fund.
Foundations involved so far: Fritt Ord, Kopinor (both Norway), Landis&Gyr, Karl und Sophie Bindung Stiftung (both Switzerland). Other supporters: The Irish Writers’ Union and the Society of Swedish Authors in Finland. The first texts and translations by up to 30 authors from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia are to be published in up to 31 countries in the upcoming six months.
The goal is one million published words for peace and freedom of expression, for understanding between cultures and nations, and as a key contribution in persuading people for a free, democratic, peaceful and inclusive society.
In particular, writers’ associations in the European book sector and literature institutions are welcome to request texts and bring authors closer to the public. The European press and media can also register for texts and translations. Literary translators from the language regions of Ukraine and Belarus are also invited to register. The website www.freeallwords.org also contains a summary of the frequently asked questions and answers about the programme so far, as well as a portrait of the participants and their works.
Contact
#Freeallwords Project Management
Alena Makouskaya, Project Manager, Member of the EWC Board (English, Belarusian, Russian): contact@freeallwords.org; Aliaksandra Dvaretskaya, project assistance (English, Belarusian, Russian), contact@freeallwords.org
Contact for media
Susanne Tenzler-Heusler, Press and Media Officer, Events and Books, +49 173 378 6601, media@freeallwords.org