The Head of “Book Platform” European project is surprised
Recently, the “Book Platform” European project’s final conference was held in Tsakhkadzor, which was attended by representatives from 6 countries. The event was attended by the said project leader Yana Genova (photo) (Bulgaria), who is also the Director of the “Next Page” Foundation.
In the conversation with “Aravot”, Yana Genova said that in the past two and a half years the book publishing business in Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine is overcoming challenges, which encounter in publishing, writing and translation fields. The “Next Page” serves for solving the purpose. “The project is aimed at specialists concerned for the future of the book: publisher, writer, translator, bookseller, librarian, as well as at the public entities operating in the field of culture and cultural organizations. Due to different events, an opportunity was offered for Armenian, Georgian and Ukrainian book specialists to develop their skills and knowledge to be involved with foreign partners in international networks and to obtain basic information, which will help making smart decisions in the future,” added our interlocutor.
In response to our request to Yana Genova, who visits Armenia for the fifth time, to make comparisons between Armenian, Georgian and Ukrainian book publishing sectors, she said that the three countries had different levels, which first of all depends on the number of population, economic situation and on how the Soviet interpreting school has been preserved. Later, she detailed, “In the USSR, the translations were organized mainly in Russian, if let’s say, a work was translated from English into Armenian, then the mediating language, Russian, played a role here.
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Specifically in Armenia, the situation is somewhat paradoxical. You have superior translators: Samvel Mkrtchyan, Zaven Boyajyan and others. On the other hand, translated and qualified published books are sold less, around 200 copies a year. Today, the average circulation of one novel in Bulgaria is 2,000 copies, in Slovenia – 5000 copies. This is in the event when the number of population in Bulgaria amounts to 7 million, and in Slovakia – 1 million. On this background, Armenia has a population of 2-2.5 million, but less number of books are sold.” Our interlocutor also noted that each country’s book market has its own characteristics. “Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine seems to be competing with the Russian book market. It turns out that the local books are competing with Russian books, but the three countries do not have as much opportunity as Russia.
There are a lot of problems in these countries. Most importantly, there are no adequate institutions and the whole energy is spent on supplementing them. It turns out that no energy is left to take part in the global book movement,” said Yana Genova. She is confinced that the Georgian and Armenian book markets, compared to Ukrainian markets, are small, and in the small market, the efforts of 1-2 people can even implement a positive shift in publishing industry, which is the only advantage for small countries. The guarantee for success in publishing industry, according to Yana Genova, is the faith in their own abilities. According to her, the indifference should always be pushed aside, and the rest would be the consequences which will lead to the development of the market and, of course, partnership with the authorities, so that, for example, the Armenian literature is accessible to the reader around the world.
Samvel DANIELYAN
