Topic "Taiwan and Wu Xiangting! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's new book "We Believe This" will be released exclusively in Taiwan

Written by Li Xiaomeng

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, the war has not ended, and the world is still closely watching the future. During this period, Openbook Reading Zhi was also not absent: In April, Podcast Reading Walkman specially produced a Ukrainian-themed single episode ; in May, the special topic " A Recording for Mother " was launched. Greetings from Ukrainian mothers; in June, when the Taipei International Book Fair ran, the OB Commissioner had an exclusive interview with the representative of the Ukrainian Pavilion, the international affairs director of Yakaboo, Ukraine's largest book sales platform, 19-year-old Valentina. Valentina Butenko, using words and images to record her encouragement to readers.

Taiwanese society's concern about the war can be seen in the media's dedicated on-the-spot investigation reports, as well as in the publishing industry. In the past six months, 8 themed books related to Russia and Ukraine have been listed: from the introduction of Ukrainian writers in art and literature, the review of Russian and Ukrainian history and geopolitical analysis, to the compilation of interviews with Taiwanese media flying to the local front line. Taiwanese readers are thirsty for Ukrainian issues.

Last week (8/26), Hao Mingyi, chairman of Dakuo Culture, announced on his personal Facebook that the first book jointly planned by Taiwan and Ukraine will be published on September 3, "Zelensky - We Believe: Ukraine Is For All Faith, Courage and Values the World Defends. The content includes 50 speeches by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an article by Yin Liqiao, Ph.D. in political science from Harvard, who analyzed Zelensky's international political strategy, as well as Hao Mingyi's interviews with Ukrainian folks, profiled the Russian-Ukrainian war and its influence on Taiwan's views, and Include photographic images taken in Ukraine, Ukrainian memorabilia as support.

The large block applied to the Ukrainian Presidential Palace, and after obtaining the approval of publication, it worked hand in hand with Ukraine's largest state-run online platform, Yakaboo, and made the transnational proposal actually written in just 25 days. The translators from the "Wind Media" International Center can be said to have contributed. On the eve of the launch of the new book, Openbook sorted out the source of the book shared by Hao Mingyi on Facebook, and also briefly interviewed Yan Jiyu, the main translator of the book and the executive deputy editor-in-chief of "Wind Media", to share with readers the characteristics of this book and the hope conveyed by this book. Important information.

➤ Ukrainian President Zelensky's first book in Taiwan

Hao Mingyi: In February 2022, I, like the rest of the world, witnessed two surprises: the Russian army invaded Ukraine in a serious and open manner; under Zelensky's leadership, Ukraine did not have what Putin thought , fell within 96 hours.

Zelensky appeared on the streets of Kyiv late at night on the first day of the war, took a selfie with his mobile phone and said to the world, "I need ammunition, not a free ride." The speech inspired people's hearts and received support from all over the world; under his leadership, Ukraine defended the capital Kyiv, repulsed Russia's northern front, sank the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, and went all the way to the southern front, ready to launch a counteroffensive.

Before the outbreak of the war, Zelensky was seen in the news media, dressed in a neat suit, white and clean, very in line with his background in the film and television entertainment industry; but since that mobile phone live broadcast, he not only grew a beard and showed his shirt. The strong muscles that have been exercised through years of insisting on sports have also shown eloquence that is both emotional and rational in speeches at home and abroad. He asked the world to support Ukraine with arms and sanctions against Russia, while being candid and restrained about the hypocrisy of bystanders.

In 2015, Zelensky became popular by playing the key role of the president in the satirical series "The Servant of the People", and then became the real president after he became popular. Many people, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, know his comedian background and think he is a little white rabbit who has strayed into the political jungle. When the war broke out, Zelensky morphed into a lion, solidly displaying his energy as Ukraine's president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

How did Zelensky do it? What enlightenment does he, and the transformation of Ukraine under his leadership, teach Taiwan, which is also facing a huge threat from the other side? I started to read his materials, read books related to Ukrainian and Russian history, and caught up with dramas to watch "The Servant of the People" starring him, but I couldn't see what his true motivation was in his heart, what was the source of his miraculous transformation. I've also waited for the opportunity to publish Zelensky's book, but it's never been the right fit.

In mid-May this year, Zelensky was invited to speak at the Cannes Film Festival, and as always, he was full of enthusiasm. I'd love to know what he had to say about the global acting world, but the news coverage is fragmented. I searched all the way that night to find Zelensky's official website for the president, and saw that there were about 180 speeches at the time. After browsing, I suddenly thought: Why not make a Zelensky book myself? What could be better than getting to know Zelensky from his speeches, seeing through his own words and seeing into his inner world? If you want to understand the message he wants to convey and understand the references that Taiwan can get, isn't publishing a book the most direct way? I wrote an editorial idea for a book and sent it to Zelensky.

Next, I have not received a positive answer. In June, Yakaboo, the largest state-run book platform in Ukraine that I knew during the Taipei International Book Fair, assisted in liaison. By the end of June, after submitting the overall layout plan and supplementary explanations upon request, until August 3rd, Pelosi came to Taiwan, and I expressed Taiwan. The strait is also full of storms, I hope to publish it as soon as possible, and finally got an echo on August 4th. Zelensky agreed, and the book was co-curated by Yakaboo and Bulk Culture.

My idea, after adding it, is as follows:

1. 50 selected from 180 speeches covering various aspects: before the Ukrainian war, after the outbreak of the war; domestic, international; European, Asian; national leaders, students and social groups Some people are inspired to fight, and some people are invited to think about rebuilding the future together. I hope that these 50 speeches combined will answer some questions: How exactly did Zelensky face this war? What is his inner motivation? Where does his confidence in Ukraine's victory over Russia come from? What kind of future does he want to lead Ukraine into? What is his message to the world, including Taiwan? Finally, as a person, how did he change?
2. In addition to allowing readers to read Zelensky's speech and look into his heart, I hope that readers can understand his growth process, the historical relationship between Ukraine and Russia, and the root causes of disputes, so I wrote an article entitled The introduction of "Zelensky's Transformation and His Message", I organize my personal experience and share it with readers. Zelensky shows us clearly the power of eloquence. So I would like to invite another expert who can interpret the history and cultural traditions of Western society. Later, I was fortunate to find Dr. Yin Liqiao, who has unique research on international politics and geopolitics, and wrote an article "Zelensky's Speech Diplomacy and Geopolitics", which deeply analyzed Zelensky's thinking, rhetoric and its meaning.
3. Organize the chronology of the "Events Related to Ukraine". Sort out the historical origin of Ukraine and its relationship with Russia: the time sequence is from the ancient Rus era to the rise of Moscow, from the imperial Russian era through the Soviet era, to the independence of the country, ending with the important wars that occurred in Ukraine from 2014 to 2022. At the same time, the historical time points of the political relations with China and Taiwan are compared with each other, so that the context can be grasped concisely.
4. I believe in the language of images, so I will select a total of 16 pages of photography on the incident of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February this year, so that readers can understand the impact and destruction of Ukraine through means other than words, and the Ukrainian people’s future for the future. Confidence and hope. I believe this will also bring more life to the book.

I recommend this book to all readers. I hope that everyone who cares about the current situation and the destiny of the country can experience the power of integrating mutual confidence, courage and wisdom from the process of reading this book. (The above text paragraphs are edited from Hao Mingyi's public post on Facebook )

➤A masterpiece showing the spirit of the Ukrainian military and civilian war of resistance

The OB commissioner also specially visited Yan Jiyu, a key figure in the translator group of "Zelensky: We Believe That", to share with the readers the opportunity to take over the translation of this book together with colleagues from the International Center of "Wind Media" . Yan Jiyu, currently the executive deputy editor-in-chief of "Wind Media", holds a master's degree from the Institute of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University. He has been engaged in interdisciplinary translation and international news reporting and commentary for a long time. He has also continued to pay attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war to this day. (He also recently announced that he is actually the translator of the traditional Chinese version of Rushdie's "The Devil's Psalm", and his courage is admirable!) Come and read his sharing.

Q: What kind of opportunity did you get to join the group of translators of this book in the first place?

Yan Jiyu: I have not been engaged in book translation work for many years, and I have been friends with brother Mingyi in writing. In early August, when the Taiwanese society was discussing the issues of "Ukraine Today, Taiwan Tomorrow" or "Russia Today, China Tomorrow", I received an invitation to translate and felt that this was a very meaningful job, which could help Taiwan readers understand the face of hegemony. A small country invaded by its neighbors (Ukraine can be regarded as a "small country" compared to Russia), how did its leaders advocate for justice in the international community and win diplomatic, military, economic and humanitarian support that are critical to the country's survival, so they agreed to join.

Q: The time to prepare for publication must be very tight. Would like to ask how the translators cooperate and divide labor? What is your role in this?

Yan Jiyu: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is still going on, and the situation is changing rapidly. Taiwan has just experienced China’s retaliatory and blockade large-scale military exercises. Therefore, the publication of this book should be done while the iron is hot.

I led the seven colleagues of the "Wind Media" International Center, Li Zhongqian, Jian Hengyu, Cai Diyan, Chen Ailing, Liu Yuwei, Wang Yingzhi, and Liao Xiuyu, to devote all their spare time. Although the time is tight, the colleagues are very familiar with the relevant personnel, time, and features because of their positions, so they are all competent and happy. In addition to translating myself, I am also responsible for allocating work, formulating SOPs, keeping an eye on progress, revising and retouching manuscripts, hoping that the results will live up to the mission.

Q: How did you feel when you took on the translation task? Can you share with us the most impressive speech in the book?

Yan Jiyu: As mentioned before, this is a very meaningful and important work for Taiwanese society. Of course, it is an honor to be able to deeply participate in it. I also thank Brother Mingyi and Dakuang Culture for their "knowledge of books" . President Zelensky was a comedian, and the international community was not optimistic about him at first, and even suspected that he would become a "runaway president" (like the last Afghan President Jani in May last year). However, after the outbreak of the war, Zelensky became the "President of the Anti-Japanese War" and fought for the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights.

These 50 speeches can be described as bloody and tearful. The speech to the British Parliament on March 8 this year is a representative work. Readers should be moved and shaken by comparing the Ukrainian battlefield in the news and on the screen, with ruins, refugees, wounded, mass graves...comparing with China's brutal and brutal civil attack and military intimidation against Taiwan.

Q: Could you please talk about the importance of this book being published at this time? What do you think Taiwanese readers will gain from reading this book?

Yan Jiyu: Since Ukraine was invaded by Russia, President Zelensky has made speeches almost every day. These 50 speeches are even more quintessential, showing the intentions of him and his staff: in addition to denouncing Russia's war crimes and crimes against humanity, it demonstrates the Ukrainian military and civilians' hard-working spirit of resistance, but also for different objects in different countries, the design can impress each other content, highlighting the historical origin or common destiny between Ukraine and the other side.

Judging from the response and assistance Ukraine received, Zelensky could be said to have set an example for "speech diplomacy". We naturally hope that Taiwan's leadership will also have such energy and voice. In the future, when Taiwan urgently needs the support of the international community, it will rise to the top (hope it won't happen, but we must be prepared).

Q: Finally, is there anything you want to say to Openbook readers?

Yan Jiyu: The Russian-Ukrainian war has crossed the milestone of six months, and the war is still stalemate. From geopolitics to the global economy, it has been greatly affected, and Taiwan cannot stay out of it. If you want to know more about this war that changed the course of history, you might as well start with these 50 speeches by Zelensky! ●

Zelensky - In These, We Believe: Faith, Courage and Values Ukraine Defends for the World
Author: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Translators: Yan Jiyu, Li Zhongqian, Wang Yingzhi, Liao Xiuyu, Jian Hengyu, Cai Yuyan, Chen Ailing, Liu Yutao Publishing: Bulk Culture

About the Author: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The current President of Ukraine, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Born in 1978, he studied law at the university, but at the age of 17, he and his classmates formed a small theater group called "95 District" (Kvartal 95, the name of the neighborhood where he grew up), and started his own entertainment career from amateur to professional. From the actor across multiple identities such as screenwriter, director, producer, etc. In 2015, he launched the political satire album "Servant of the People", playing a high school history teacher who accidentally became the president, reforming the government and the country. The album became an instant hit after its release.

At the end of 2018, he announced his participation in the presidential election. Four months later, after two rounds of voting, Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine, setting a record for the Ukrainian presidential election with 73.22% of the vote. Supporters see him as a lifeblood of Ukrainian politics, while opponents see him as a puppet with no political experience. However, when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Zelensky not only did not evacuate from the capital Kyiv, but instead took to the streets to live broadcast on his mobile phone to declare his determination to end the War of Resistance. Since then, he has inspired people with speeches to domestic and foreign parties. , but also for the support and support of all countries in the world, becoming a hero of Ukraine and a figure of global attention.