You made your first layout in 2011 when Ukraine was peaceful. Your first book was published in 2014 when the war started in the east of Ukraine. The first book of your publishing house was printed in 2021, and you continue to work during the full-scale invasion. What was and is the purpose of your work at each of these three points?
I became passionate about creating books in 2011. I liked the process of turning a text into a book.
I realized that my first book would not be published by any publishing house in 2013. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible for novice Ukrainian writers. I won a regional literary competition at the end of 2013. The prize was enough for me to hire an artist to create illustrations and a cover for my future book. I did the layout by myself, so I had enough money to print 200 copies.
After that, due to life circumstances, I had no time to write. Somewhere around that time I realized that I had to learn Ukrainian, and it seemed difficult for me. I fell into a kind of thick silence.
My son Andrii was born at the end of 2015. Then I had a difficult postpartum depression, which was ended only in 2017.
I joined the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine in 2016 and together with other creative young people I began to revive the literary festival «Moloda Slobozhanshchyna» and step by step studied Ukrainian language. My friends supported me, not by correcting me, but by suggesting words. Thanks to this support, I spoke Ukrainian in 2019, when I was 29 years old. I started writing in Ukrainian in 2018, so the amount of my texts in Ukrainian is much bigger than in russian now.
I wrote a manual for writers called «After the last word is written», where I shared my experience of how to edit a text on my own, how to publish a book, and so on. It was supposed to be released in spring of 2022, but instead it came out in September.
I understood how difficult my path in publishing would be, but despite the fact that the country was already at war, in February 2021, I decided to establish a publishing house and move forward by my own small steps. We published four books that year.
When I left Kharkiv in February 2022, I had only 140 hryvnias with me and no idea what would happen with the publishing house. But I was convinced that the books had to be published! In April of the same year, I received a grant for small entrepreneurs who did not stop when a full-scale war started. I did not stop. That’s how we published the novel «Lot Woman». Since then, we have been working non-stop.
I don’t know how to live if you don’t have some kind of super idea. Any business should be not only profitable, but created to achieve a purpose.
If I can layout a book, arrange a presentation, advise a proofreader, it’s a great joy for me. I feel myself in a right place, and that’s why I’m in publishing — to get new books published. This high goal inspires me.
Do you consider your professional activity in a some way as a volunteering?
During my school, I was the president of a volunteer organization. We visited elder people, bringing them treats and telling them about Jewish holidays. Sometimes I saw a certain artificiality in forced visits to people and intrusive offers of help. So I got fed up with volunteering at school.
I make contributions to the army systematically. A month ago, for the first time, I announced a collection in order to buy a car for my brother, who is at war now. I am unlikely agreed to do this for someone else, because there are people who do it much better.
Therefore, on the one hand, I am not a volunteer at all, and on the other hand, I volunteer every day because I publish texts of Ukrainian authors who are currently unknown for free for them. Moreover, the works «Lot Woman», «Orelia», «4.5.0» and others were published at the expense of the publishing house, and we also give each author 50 copies of the book. Of course, we sell books and make a profit from this. The success of a book brings recognition for me and the publishing house, but in our time, publishing has signs of volunteerism. After all, we organize lectures and presentations for free which have a significant public benefit.
You publish books in particular about the war, which are a record of current events in a literary interpretation. The authors then present these books abroad, telling the world about our fight. Are you directly involved in such promotion?
I don’t do it personally. But the authors do it with my help. I am focused on distributing books throughout Ukraine and organizing presentations in different cities. So I have a slightly different perspective. My duty is to widespread the book as a record of memory to readers in Ukraine and abroad.
Let’s get back to volunteering to help the army. How do you feel about the idea that the state takes care of the army, while businesses and citizens pay taxes and thus fulfill their obligations to the country?
I have an adult position, not an infantile one. No one owes anything to anyone: neither the state to me, nor I to the state. The fact that I pay taxes is my conscious choice as an entrepreneur. And the fact that I set up a company is my conscious choice. And the fact that I pay taxes is a consequence of my choice.
I am a Ukrainian of Jewish descent who made a conscious choice to stay in Ukraine and be a Ukrainian. And to be a human being in general. I will not respect myself later if I do nothing to speed up our victory in any way I can.
There is a war going on in my country, bombs are being dropped on my hometown, missiles are being fired at my city. How can I stand aside? I have no moral right to do so. So there is no doubt that I have to help financially.
Tell us about your brother, for whom you are fundraising money for a car.
My brother Dmytro Yampolskyi and I are twins. This is an important and tender bond that we never lose. Those who were together in the mother’s womb have a kinship of souls that is hard to find anywhere else in life. And I have had it since my birth. This is a great happiness.
My brother is older than me, not only because he was born 20 minutes earlier, but also because he was raised as an older brother to me. So I always had protection and support. He was to me like a father because our father died early. He became my friend, because for some reason, I got friends quite late.
Since 2014, Dmytro has been making furniture for order. In February 2022, he moved his family to the west of Ukraine and in March went to the military office to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Although with his vision of -8.5 diopters, he could have waited for a call-up instead.
Now his division needs a pickup truck. Before that, Dmytro had never asked me for anything, saying that others needed it more, but now he has asked me. Being an open-minded person, I asked for help through social media. I’ve already held three live broadcasts, a publishing workshop, a literary presentation, and I’m planning more events as soon as I can. I have already said that I do not consider myself effective in volunteering, but I will complete my brother’s request.
You can help raise money for Dmytro’s car here.
Do you see any new directions for yourself in order to spread information about the war in Ukraine through publishing, so that this topic does not leave the world’s agenda, and we eventually win?
I don’t set such a high goal for myself. I just do my job every day. And I believe that my honest work depends on me, and this allows me to move on.
Translator: Yuliia Koleha
The material was produced with the support of the NGO «Institute of Mass Information» as part of a project of the international organisation Internews Network.
