A couple of weeks ago, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies held its 2023 Vsesvit evening, an annual event celebrating language, translation, and music in Ukraine.  This year was dedicated to Crimean Tatar, the Turkic language spoken in Crimea.  Among the readers (and singers) was Elmaz Asan, an incredible Crimean Tatar journalist and scholar who is currently on a research placement in Cambridge.  You can read about Elmaz and her experience of being forced from two homelands by Russian invaders – Crimea in 2014 and then Ukraine in 2022 – and how she is adapting to life in Cambridge in this University piece.

The University Library has sadly few books in Crimean Tatar, but their numbers are slowly growing.  Two books were added this week, among a group of 30 new Ukrainian ebooks.  These two are language-learning books and not usual fare for the UL, but we felt it important to buy what is available.  The strong turnout at the Vsesvit event showed how much interest there is in Crimea and also how much feeling there is for Crimean Tatars, and hopefully these two new books will be useful to those who are trying out the language. Continue reading “Crimean Tatar books in print and online” →