Presentation of comics Last Night on Earth at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025
ARI Literature Foundation presented the comic book Last Night on Earth at the world’s largest publishing event — the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025.
The comic book was the result of the EU Creative Europe funded project Visual Stories: From Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine initiated by ARI Literature Foundation in collaboration with partners from Georgia, (Literature Initiative Georgia), Ukraine (Komora Publishing house) and The Netherlands (Drawing the Times).
The project brings together artists and writers from the three countries to tell powerful stories through the language of comics — stories that go beyond borders and speak to shared human experiences through a woman’s perspective and emotional lens on war, conflict, and survival.
All the stories were written by women authors, whose voices bring depth and empathy to themes often dominated by traditional narratives. Their interpretations of war and its aftermath shed light on personal and collective resilience, loss, and hope — seen not from the battlefield, but from homes, memories, and everyday lives touched by conflict.
The presentation was moderated by Arevik Ashkharoyan, Director of ARI Literature Foundation. The panel brought together Mikheil Tsikhelashvili, the editor of the book, illustrators Astghik Harutyunyan (Armenia), Luka Lashkhi (Georgia), and Sofia Pokorchak (Ukraine), who each shared their creative journeys and the challenges of translating women’s stories about war into visual form.
The event highlighted the unifying power of art and storytelling across borders, demonstrating how shared creative experiences — and especially women’s voices — can foster understanding, resilience, and dialogue in times of challenge.
The project has already attracted the attention of numerous international publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair who were interested in translating and publishing the book in their countries.
“Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
