By Halyna RODINA, MIAU-Kult Cultural Association
In coming closer to Europe we have discovered that so much of what happened
on the other side of the Iron Curtain is unknown to us, and world wisdom
that was digested long ago and mastered by the average European for us
still tastes like something spicily exotic. But the formation and existence
of a democratic state are impossible without the circulation within it
of the primary sources of world culture translated into Ukrainian.
Thus the Osnovy [Foundations] Publishing House emerged as a part of
the publishing project of International Renaissance Foundation. The people
at the birth of Osnovy (1992) were complex-free Ukrainian scholars, businessmen,
and translators led by young cultural studies specialist Solomiya Pavlychko
(well known by then). The majority of texts published by Osnovy were never
before published in Ukrainian, and some of them not even in Russian. The
publishing house's priorities have not changed in seven years. However,
Osnovy is developing, perfecting its intellectual orientation and working
out new plans and directions. That was the subject of our conversation
with its executive director Valentyna Kyrylova who has passed through all
levels of the publishing hierarchy and has been the head of Osnovy for
over a year.
V. K.:When we started working we were afraid to become just another
publishing house specializing in patriotic kitsch, which were then widespread
and sowing literature teaching nothing more than pseudo-patriotism. That
was why in the Osnovy program a dual task was formulated: first, to provide
Ukrainian scholarship with basic works of ancient and classical philosophy
and, second, to publish the most progressive literature on economics, management,
history, and modern philosophy tested in the world leading universities.
And one more important principle was put into the Osnovy concept: to give
students and teachers inexpensive books; we sell them for virtually what
it costs to publish them. Thus we worked this way for about five years.
Later we began working with Ukrainian authors - and the third direction
appeared that was completely justified. For example, Anatoly Halchynsky
wrote his Theory Of Money basing it on material from our country,
and we reprinted it three times; Money And Credit Policy by Olena
Hrytsenko has had two impressions.
The Day: What translators do you work with?
V. K.:Now we no longer have the problem that was so acute when
we started work: the level of Ukrainian of translators who spoke foreign
languages quite well was poor, as a rule. And those who speak well both
foreign and the native language were few. Mainly they worked in Vsesvit
(Universe) magazine. Most have been working with us from the beginning,
and often the initiative is theirs: the works of Euripides, Erasmus of
Rotterdam, and Friedrich Nietzsche were already translated and awaiting
publication. There is a similar situation with Andriy Sodomora's translation
of Ovid, due to be published very soon.
The Day: Which books can Osnovy be especially proud of?
V. K.:Quite recently we published the translation of The Crisis
Of World Capitalism by George Soros. It is his latest work, and its
main idea is that every crisis causes a new upswing. The book will interest
everyone: Deputies of Verkhovna Rada as well as university students of
economics. But we are especially proud of the record time of translation.
In New York the presentation of the book took place on November 26, 1998.
It took us only two and a half months to the advance copy of the Ukrainian
translation. Even the Moscow edition was later. And by the summer we are
going to publish the real bomb: The History Of Europe by Norman
Davies - 2060 pages of English text (there will be more in Ukrainian).
The book is already translated into 35 languages. In Poland the edition
was displayed last spring during the traditional spring book fair in Warsaw.
It will take us a little more than a year to publish Davis, that is, we
keep pace with Poland which is a European country, while the Russians are
still only dreaming of the book.
By the way, we plan to invite the author to the Kyiv presentation of
the Ukrainian translation of his History Of Europe. And I think,
we are publishing the book in good time: before declaring our country a
European state it would not hurt us to study European history.







