Banished publisher optimistic about Belarusian books abroad

July 15, Pozirk. Belarusian translations of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien and Wiedźmin by Andrzej Sapkowski topped the sales of the Januškievič publishing house in 2023, Andrej Januškievič has told Pozirk.

The translation of Steven King’s The Shining was also popular among the readers, he noted.

The publisher was forced to flee Belarus in the fall of 2022 after a police crackdown on his business.

In February, he opened the Knihaŭka bookstore in Warsaw, named after a short-lived store raided in Minsk in May 2022.

The 2019 release of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter saga was a milestone for the publishing house, helping it grow over the next three years, Januškievič said.

Other successful projects included translations of Sapkowski’s fantasy series, while George Orwell’s 1984, released in August 2020, immediately became a bestseller.

Belarusian authors also sell well, Januškievič said, noting that Pieratrus u muzei (A Search at the Museum), Kapitan Liatučaja Ryba (Captain Flying Fish) and Sabaki Eŭropy by Alhierd Bacharevič have been among the top-selling books for the second consecutive year. Sabaki Eŭropy (Dogs of Europe), was blacklisted as extremist content in Belarus two years ago.

Hanna Yankuta’s Čas pustaziellia (Weed Time) is a bestseller and Alaksandar Čarnucha’s Svinni (Swine) is also very popular.

Belarusians appreciate literature in their mother tongue because it helps them deal with everyday life, create a sense of national identity and feel a connection to their own culture, the publisher stressed.

“I see that today’s Belarusian is no longer searching for an identity, but is searching for pillars to support it. And believe me, books play an important role as a pillar,” he said.

“When you read in Belarusian, you know for sure that you are a Belarusian and immerse yourself in this water of Belarusian culture. As you read in another language, you place yourself in the context of another culture one way or another.”

Read the interview in Belarusian

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