Translating Cultures with
UNESCO Cities of Literature
Exeter UNESCO City of Literature was delighted to team up with the Department for Languages, Cultures, and Visual Studies at the University of Exeter, to bring multiple UNESCO Cities of Literature to Exeter. Creatives and academics from Lviv, Heidelberg, Tartu, Nottingham, Vilnius and Barcelona brought their insight and creativity to the city, alongside visiting academics from Belarus.
From Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th July, the University of Exeter hosted a variety of presentations and workshops by individuals from the Department of Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies, and by guests from UNESCO Cities of Literature across Europe.
Public Events
From Tuesday 11th to Thursday 13th July, you joined in with a series of events across Exeter! From stand-up comedy to poetry readings, pub quizzes and a discussion about the literary sphere in Ukraine, a roundtable panel discussing transatlantic translations, and workshops on climate and translations - there was plenty to choose from!
Ukranian War Poetry
A selection of poetry from Ukrainian soldiers on the front line and the poet and broadcaster Olena Huseinova, translated by Yuliya Kostyuk with Hugh Roberts and Helen Vassallo.
Poets, broadcasters, translators and academics have joined forces to give voice to Ukrainian war poetry written in response to Russia’s illegal invasion of the country. The poems, some of which have been written by artists fighting on the frontline, have been translated into English, recorded and made available to the public on YouTube.
They include the work of Liza Zharikova, a poet and musician, who was recently injured while on service in Donbas; and radio host Olena Huseinova, whose work covering the evacuation of Mariupol has found new expression in her poetry.
The project arose following the visit in July, last year, of a delegation from Lviv City of Literature, who were invited to take part in the Translating Cultures with UNESCO Cities of Literature event in Exeter. During the event, Ms Musakovska and Ms Huseinova read poetry written by colleagues who had been killed in the war, or who are are still fighting on the front line or the home front. The pair also took part in public discussions around the nature of that poetry.
The project has been led by the University of Exeter in collaboration with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, and poet and translator Yuliya Musakovska. Read more about the project here.
