Ukrainian Publisher Pauses Printing of Deni Redd’s Novel Over Russian Translation Controversy

Mockup of the Ukrainian translation of Deni Redd’s book ‘The Arctic Club of Coffee Connoisseurs’. Knigolav

The Knyholav publishing house has decided not to print the British author Deni Redd’s novel “Arctic Club of Curry Connoisseurs” until they clarify the author’s position on the book’s Russian translation and her stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. This position was expressed by co-founder Svitlana Paveletska during a discussion with a media-information outlet.

The gist of the situation is that the Ukrainian translation of the novel was announced at the beginning of September 2025. According to the plot, the story follows a girl who sets off with a guy to the Arctic, but the expectations for the journey are not met.

“luxurious”

On September 18, 2023, the author of the Telegram channel “Alinaria about Books” noticed on Instagram the Russian translation of the book, which was published by the publisher “Dom Istoriy” in 2023. Redd called this edition “luxurious” and shared joy that her story was spreading around the world. She also recorded a message to Russians dated July 15, 2023. In the video she expressed the hope:

“that this book will inspire people who are facing difficulties”

After this incident, it drew wide attention within the Ukrainian literary community, and the pre-order link for the novel was removed from the Knyholav website.

“Primarily they will reach out to the author’s agents, and if they cannot ascertain the author’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war and her stance toward the Russian translation through them, they will speak directly with Redd. Readers will be informed later.”

According to Paveletska, physical copies of the book have not yet been printed, so the team decided to cancel pre-orders and remove the novel from the website. She noted that “Knyholav” had previously faced a similar situation with another author. This time they need to carefully resolve it: first contact the author’s agents, and if they cannot determine the position on the war and the attitude toward the Russian translation through them, speak directly with Redd. Readers will be informed of the outcome later.

Про авторку

Deni Redd is a British writer, the deputy editor of the magazine Much Better Adventures. Born in the United Kingdom. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing and a PhD in creative and critical writing from the University of East Anglia. Her research focuses on the representation of islands in postcolonial and feminist fiction. While working on her dissertation, Redd traveled to remote European islands, notably Svalbard beyond the Arctic Circle. She also lived in India for two years, where she wrote for National Geographic Traveller India.