Wschodni Express is a series of panels, and debates featuring writers, artists, and intellectuals from Eastern Europe, alongside a publication series published by Workshops of Culture in Lublin and linked to East of Culture – Different Sounds.

One of the key challenges in fostering intercultural cooperation and overcoming stereotypes about Central and Eastern European cultures is the language barrier. While this may not pose a major obstacle in other cultural fields like music or visual arts, it can hinder the reception of literature and the broader exchange of ideas. In this context, it’s essential to facilitate the smooth flow of contemporary thought, writing, and literature translated into national languages. This is precisely the role of Wschodni Express—a series of meetings, debates, and book launches that introduce the latest prose and poetry from Eastern Partnership countries to the Polish market.

The series focuses mainly on diverse prose and essays, but also on poetry. Our authors include the most prominent writers from Ukraine, Belarus or Lithuania, including Jurij Andruchowycz, Andrij Bondar, Oleksandr Bojczenko, Andrij Lubka, Hałyna Kruk, Mykoła Riabczuk, Natalka Śniadanko, but also authors little known in Poland. The range of our publications includes short stories by Oleg Sentsov, the filmmaker and writer who spent five years in the prison camps of present-day Russia. We are proud to collaborate with, among others, Bohdan Zadura, one of the most renowned Polish translators of Ukrainian prose and poetry. The name refers to the famous “literary trains”, such as Literature Express Europe 2000, which carried over 100 writers and poets from 43 countries from Lisbon to Berlin, and the Ukrainian magazine Potysah76 – “Pociąg 76” (Train 76), dedicated to Central-Eastern European culture.