Osnovy Publishing House is an innovative publishing house that grew together with Ukrainian society and practically shaped its reading habits. Based in Kyiv, they introduce readers to whimsical do-it-yourself balconies, Ukrainian erotic photography, Orthodox Ukrainian architecture, and Soviet buildings forgotten at home and recently praised abroad. Thanks to the various works of the publishing house, Ukrainians and foreigners can discover a new side of Ukrainian culture and realize that everything can be considered as part of the heritage.
With a name that aptly translates as foundation, Osnovy appeared on the Ukrainian horizon in 1992 thanks to its founders Bohdan Kravchenko and Solomiya Pavlychko. It was a time when the country declared its independence and was actively looking for fresh perspectives on literature and media. In addition, there was a huge need for fresh voices in the nascent publishing industry in Ukraine.
Solomiya is a Ukrainian literary critic, feminist and translator, and Bohdan is a political scientist and former director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. They both believed in Ukraine and that books can transform society, so making great books available to a Ukrainian audience was a logical step. This idea gained momentum during the 90s, when the public became increasingly interested in reading world classics and recognized textbooks in the Ukrainian language. Osnoya Publishing House was one of the first to translate a number of important and modern textbooks on economics, history and philosophy.