Medusa books

Medusa books (Медуза) is an independent, non-commercial publishing project founded in 2013 in Kyiv, Ukraine. It operates on principles of self-organization within a translation and research community, aiming to popularize intellectual literature, particularly translated works. The idea for the publisher arose when Kateryna Mishchenko first tried to publish her own translation but could not reach an agreement with a publisher. The project was conceived as a community initiative of the journals 'Prostory', 'Politychna Krytyka', and 'Spilne', where anyone could publish a full-length text. The team consists of three people — Kateryna Mishchenko, Anastasia Riabchuk, and Stanislav Menzelevskyi — who coordinate projects in turn. To ensure quality editions, decent royalties, and affordable prices, the publisher relies on grants from the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, House of Europe, and the Goethe-Institut. Two books were published entirely at Medusa's own expense: Ben Judah's 'Fragile Empire' and Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny'. For three consecutive years (2017–2019), Medusa's books were shortlisted for the 'Best Book Design' competition founded by the International 'Book Arsenal' festival. Medusa is a partner of 'Politychna Krytyka' and the Center for Visual Culture. Its catalogue includes translations of works by Christoph Simon, Boris Buden, Edward Said, Pierre Bourdieu, Loïc Wacquant, Judith Butler, Timothy Snyder, David Harvey, and others, covering topics in humanities, social sciences, and contemporary thought.

Medusa books was founded in 2013 as an independent, non-commercial publishing project in Kyiv, Ukraine. The idea originated with Kateryna Mishchenko, who, after struggling to publish her own translation, envisioned a community-based publisher where members of the journals 'Prostory', 'Politychna Krytyka', and 'Spilne' could publish full-length texts. The project was established on principles of self-organization of a translation and research environment, with the goal of popularizing intellectual, particularly translated, literature. The founding team consists of Kateryna Mishchenko, Anastasia Riabchuk, and Stanislav Menzelevskyi, who coordinate projects in turn. From the outset, Medusa relied on grants from institutions such as the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, House of Europe, and the Goethe-Institut to ensure quality editions, fair royalties, and affordable prices. Two books were published entirely at the publisher's own expense: Ben Judah's 'Fragile Empire' and Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny'. Medusa's catalogue grew steadily, featuring translations of works by authors such as Christoph Simon, Boris Buden, Edward Said, Pierre Bourdieu, Loïc Wacquant, Judith Butler, Timothy Snyder, and David Harvey. Notable publications include 'Fragile Empire' (2015), 'Frames of War' (2016), 'Black Earth' (2017), 'On Tyranny' (2018), and 'Rebel Cities' (2021). The publisher also released anthologies like 'Image, Body, Order' (2014), 'The Book of Kyiv' (2015), and 'Moving Space' (2018). For three consecutive years (2017–2019), Medusa's books were shortlisted for the 'Best Book Design' competition founded by the International 'Book Arsenal' festival. The publisher is a partner of 'Politychna Krytyka' and the Center for Visual Culture. As of the 2020s, Medusa continues to operate as an independent publisher, focusing on intellectual literature and translations.

• 2021

  Published David Harvey's 'Rebel Cities'.

• 2019

  Shortlisted for 'Best Book Design' for the third consecutive year.

• 2018

  Published Timothy Snyder's 'On Tyranny' and anthology 'Moving Space'; shortlisted for 'Best Book Design'.

• 2017

  Published Timothy Snyder's 'Black Earth'; shortlisted for 'Best Book Design' for the first time.

• 2016

  Published Judith Butler's 'Frames of War'.

• 2015

  Published Pierre Bourdieu and Loïc Wacquant's 'Reflexive Sociology', 'The Book of Kyiv', and Ben Judah's 'Fragile Empire'.

• 2014

  Published Edward Said's 'Humanism and Democratic Criticism' and anthology 'Image, Body, Order'.

• 2013

  Medusa books founded in Kyiv as an independent non-commercial publishing project.

• 2013

  First publications: Christoph Simon's 'Viel Gutes für wenig Geld' and Boris Buden's 'Zone des Übergangs'.

Independent, non-commercial publisher of intellectual and translated literature, operating on community self-organization and grant support.

• 2013

  Viel Gutes für wenig Geld

• 2013

  Zone des Übergangs

• 2014

  Humanism and Democratic Criticism

• 2015

  Reflexive Sociology

• 2014

  Image, Body, Order

• 2015

  The Book of Kyiv

• 2015

  Fragile Empire

• 2016

  Frames of War

• 2017

  Black Earth

• 2018

  On Tyranny

• 2018

  Moving Space

• 2021

  Rebel Cities

1. 1Medusa books on Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Медуза (видавництво) on Ukrainian Wikipediauk.wikipedia.org