On August 24, the European Fund of Slavic Written Culture and Literature hosted a working meeting focused on advancing international cooperation and launching a new publishing initiative.
The guests of the Foundation included representatives of the renowned Albert Einstein Gymnasium in Bratislava: Deputy Principal Mgr. Marina Golikova and Russian language instructor Ing. Mgr. Inna Horvátová.
The centerpiece of the discussion was an international collaborative publishing project: a four-language book in English, Finnish, Slovak, and Russian. The publication represents the culmination of a long-standing and fruitful partnership between the Gymnasium and the School of Eastern Finland (Itä-Suomen koulu).
The partnership between the Bratislava school and its Finnish counterparts has long outgrown the scope of standard student exchanges. Collaborative meetings and educational programs have progressively evolved into a literary and linguistic initiative bringing together educators and students from both countries in the spirit of literature, translation, and intercultural dialogue.
In 2024, the Gymnasium hosted a Finnish delegation of 39 students and three educators. During joint academic sessions, participants compared the education systems of Slovakia and Finland, explored their respective literary traditions, and engaged with Russian, Slovak, and Finnish cultural heritage. This cooperation continued throughout 2025, leading to a return study visit by Slovak students to Finland in 2026.
Literary translation holds a key place in the current phase of the project. Students and educators are translating works by Slovak and Finnish authors, studying the literary traditions of both nations, and preparing texts for the upcoming volume. Plans for the edition include print and digital releases, as well as an accessible version in Braille.
The forthcoming book represents not merely a publishing release, but an authentic example of international educational collaboration uniting pedagogy, literature, translation, and cultural exchange.
The Publishing Center of the European Fund of Slavic Written Culture and Literature has endorsed the project and begun preparatory work on the edition. During the meeting, Foundation President Prof. Igor Bondarenko, Director of the Publishing Center Elena Prekopova, and representatives of both the Foundation and the Gymnasium discussed the conceptual framework, logistical details, and upcoming production milestones. Following the talks, the formal application for publication was approved.
Through these efforts, an international school exchange has grown into a cross-cultural publishing endeavor that will unite four languages, two cultures, and generations of young readers and their mentors.
