Are you ready to explore the genre-rich world of Glagoslav Publications? (And when I say genre-rich, I truly mean it. This publisher of Slavic literature boasts an abundance of specialities, including sci-fi, plays, detective stories, poetry, and historical thrillers. Don’t get me started on their expansive nonfiction catalog.) Based in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Glagoslav Publications is dedicated to introducing beloved Slavic books—from classics to short stories—to English and Dutch-reading audiences. Their mission: “to facilitate a dialogue between East and West.”

Glagoslav Publications not only represents a myriad of literary genres, but also numerous countries. One can spend hours browsing the press’ website for English translations of books from Belarus, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Russia. I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon Death of the Snake Catcher, written by Turkmen author Ak Welsapar, while researching the press. Welsapar’s short story collection explores the relationship between humans and nature, love and loss, East and West (read the synopsis here). I’m especially intrigued by the title story, in which an elderly snake catcher converses at length with a giant cobra in the desert.

One of the interesting features of Glagoslav Publications’ website is a specialized free service: the Book Club Guide. This curated selection of books contains more than suggestions and summaries: they also share discussion questions for each title to inspire deeper engagement with the story. Additionally, the Book Club Guide showcases stories with a variety of voices, perspectives, and styles. (Currently, the guide is promoting books by female-identifying authors.) The page itself is simple to navigate, making it easy to include global literature in any library book club.

Here’s what Glagoslav Publications’ has to say about their main goal:

We seek out books from Slavic countries that represent different ethnic communities of these regions and play an important part in our common cultural, literary and intellectual heritage, promoting a better understanding of this intriguing but often misunderstood part of the Eurasian continent.

The primary focus of Glagoslav Publications is to bring out translations that embody values that are uniquely Slavic in nature and celebrate universal values as reflected in diverse cultural demographics of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other nations in the region. Every book that we publish has already achieved an engaged readership in its native land, has been recognized by international critics, and, in many cases, has either received or been short-listed for prestigious national and international awards.

Find out what’s next for Glagoslav Publications by perusing their 2018 catalog. Check out the company’s About Page to learn more about its history and the invention of its unique name. To simply bask in the beautiful revolving cover art that is featured on their welcome page, click here.

By Chelsey Slattum