A Ukrainian author who fled the country and stopped writing due to the Russian invasion was shocked to see her Ukrainian readership almost double as her fans found comfort in her stories and asked for more.
Arina Vil’de, 30, from Odesa in southern Ukraine, realised her dreams of becoming an author five years ago and started publishing stories on Ukrainian online platform Booknet, connecting her with readers across the globe. But when Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February last year Arina was terrified for her life as bombs were fired just 300 metres from her home, forcing her to go to Bulgaria.
Having thought her novels would be far from what her readers needed in a time of war, she was stunned when her Ukrainian readership almost doubled as her fans found respite from the horrors around them in her work. Now Arina and chief executive of Booknet, Sergiy Grushko, are highlighting the importance of celebrating Ukrainian language and culture, explaining the important part language plays in their independence.
