A two-volume book of Kazakh folk tales was presented at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Moscow on Tuesday, TV BRICS reported.
The book, titled “Three Hundred Kazakh Fairy Tales,” includes stories that were collected, translated and published in Russian in various editions in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book features illustrations by artists Aigerim Valikhanova (Kazakhstan) and Ksenia Burkova (Russia).
Project initiator Ivan Polyakov said the book was inspired by former Kazakhstani Ambassador to Russia Yermek Kosherbayev. Polyakov also noted that the publication will contribute to deepening mutual understanding between the peoples of the neighbouring countries.
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Russia Dauren Abayev believes that “Three Hundred Kazakh Fairy Tales” is not just a book embodying the rich culture of the Kazakh people.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce our children to Kazakh culture. And if you know the culture and everyday life, it always brings people closer together. I think this publication will serve to further bring our peoples closer together,” Abayev said.
Oleg Zimarin, director and editor-in-chief of “Ves Mir” publishing house, said that it took a year and a half to prepare the book.
“Of course, it was based on previous editions, including the academic edition of the Kazan Academy of Sciences in 1950-1960. There were other editions as well. In principle, the tales that were included in this two-volume book are available on the Internet in different versions. The peculiarity of our edition is that it has an original composition, careful editing, very accurate and verified treatment of the text, and an interesting and original series of illustrations by two artists, Aigerim Valikhanova and Ksenia Burkova. They immerse readers in the world of fairy tales as they see it themselves. This is a very interesting experience. It seems to me that such a high-quality edition of Kazakh fairy tales has not been published for a long time,” Zimarin said.
The book was published in 3,000 copies. The publication was prepared on the initiative of Kosherbayev and Polyakov with the support of the Interstate Development Corporation.
