Ukrainian agency founder Ma wins first Anna Droumeva Award

Ukrainian agency founder Viktoriya Ma has been awarded the inaugural Anna Droumeva Award, a bursary launched by Andrew Nurnberg Associates (ANA) to recognise an outstanding rights professional.

The annual award was conceived in honour of the founding director of ANA’s Sofia office after she passed away in 2021, and grants the winner £2,500 (€2,965) to further their knowledge of the translation market and gain insight into other book cultures.

Ma is the founder and c.e.o. of Literary Agency Ovo, which is based in Kyiv. 

“Literature has no borders. This was my guiding idea in establishing Literary Agency Ovo in 2019 and these words became our motto,” she said. “First, I strived to grow the agency from a complete unknown into one among equals, focused on the Ukrainian book market. It was a tough challenge as the market remained in a developmental phase ridden with many post-Soviet prejudices. Since then, we found publishers for almost 30 manuscripts and this is just the start.

“I strongly believe that Ukrainian literature is worthy to be read and admired worldwide. The key to achieving this is licensing translation rights for Ukrainian books internationally. It is almost impossible to do this without direct contacts and if you don’t visit fairs. You also need the funds, which is rarely feasible for literary agents when just starting out: it seems to be a vicious circle. When I heard about the first call for the Anna Droumeva Award, I was delighted. The approach showed solidarity and willingness to help those who are only starting their way in the industry. It was so fair. I decided to apply.

“The war started in Ukraine and I stopped waiting for the final results. I was focused to preserve the team and was consolidating the results already achieved. The letter arrived as a miracle and I received the good news as I crossed the border with my children into Poland.”

Ma will be using the funds to travel to Frankfurt Book Fair in October, and aims to focus her career on selling rights for Ukrainian literature. Her goals include expanding access to Ukrainian authors including Artem Chapeye and Pavlo Matyusha, both of whom have joined the armed forces.

“I want to restore the justice because our literature has always been under-represented on the global market and in the shadow of the Russian canon, which has led some people to believe that we are in fact the same nation,” she said. “Literature can be a weapon too, but a kind one that touches hearts and brings understanding. Reading Ukrainian authors will help people better understand Ukrainians and why our identity is so important for us that many are ready to fight for it.”

Applications were judged by ANA International director Doug Wallace and agent Mira Droumeva, who had been co-director of the Sofia office with her mother Anna for many years.