About us

In 2018, we established an oriental publishing house, the first of its kind in Ukraine, to stand up to the modern challenges of globalization, respond to the rise of the Asian region, and overcome the Ukrainian postcolonial legacy. We make our own books and publish Ukrainian translations of ancient and contemporary literature from Asia. Working in different genres, we try to give Ukrainians a better understanding of Asian societies and cultures.

In French, «safran» means «saffron». Originally from Asia, this flower has conquered the whole world. For many centuries, it has been the world’s most expensive spice. A gram of saffron costs more than a gram of gold, and one can harvest only a few hundred grams of it from a huge flower field. It is no wonder that the saffron color became the color of Chinese emperors, Buddhist monks, and later European aristocracy. Saffron has also been linked to numerous health benefits. It increases the levels of serotonin, a hormone of happiness, so it is commonly used for pain, melancholy, and depression.

At our publishing house, we harvest symbolic saffron, bringing together Asian writers and Ukrainian scholars, translators, Eastern languages experts, artists, and designers familiar with the aesthetics of Eastern art to create unique books. We would like our readers to open them and enjoy contact with the majestic and mysterious world of Asia. May our saffron books become your gateway to the Asian worldview!

«In 2016, I realized that there were hardly any translations of Asian literature in Ukraine. I started by researching the book markets of France, Poland, the Czech Republic, the UK, and the United States to see how foreign publishers work with Eastern literatures and build transcontinental and transcultural bridges between Europe, America, and Asia.

In Soviet times, there were no opportunities to study Eastern languages in Ukraine. Ukrainians could do that only in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or Vladivostok. So, after the USSR collapsed, Ukraine did not have its own translations even of the iconic classical works, for example, Confucius. The Asian region—Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and later China—has been developing rapidly, whereas Ukraine struggles with a serious knowledge gap when it comes to Asia. We still get most of the information through the Russian language and Russia, where the Eastern studies have historically been a priority». Svitlana Pryzynchuk, founder of Safran publisher, says.