After a Russian missile strike in May, one of Ukraine's largest book-printing plants looked like a massacre. Seven employees were dead, with more than 20 wounded, their blood on the walls that had not blown apart. Under a caved-in roof lay tens of thousands of charred books and printing machinery in smoldering heaps.
Ukraine's largest bookstore chain added 22 new stores in 2023 and plans to add another 22 this year. Vivat, based in Kharkiv, doubled staff and book stock, and tripled bookstores from three to nine since the war began.
Litvinets notes that during power cuts, books become even more popular. People read by flashlight or candlelight, escaping into another world. Mysteries and romantic fiction are especially favored, with high demand for Ukrainian authors.
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