Publisher puts spotlight on Russian dominance on Belarusian book market

May 15, BPN. Belarusian publisher Andrej Januškievič spoke at a meeting in Warsaw about the negative impact of Russian publishers and state officials on the Belarusian book market.

The meeting “Belarusian Publishers amid Crackdown” was organized by Polish PEN Club, part of a global network of writers who defend free expression.

Januškievič said that more than 80 percent of books come from Russia in Russian, and that the living Belarusian culture is seen as a natural enemy by the Łukašenka regime.

His company, which published books by George Orwell, Alhierd Bacharevič and Stephen King in Belarusian, lost its license, was searched and forced to move to Poland. Other private publishers in Belarus were also suspended or closed down by the Ministry of Information.

“The situation on the Belarusian book market is a very good mirror, which shows us that even some kind of [Russian] occupation is unnecessary: everything has already been decided,” Januškievič said.