Society and Book Culture: “Multifaceted East. Books and Folks” exhibition in St. Petersburg

“Multifaceted East. Books and Folks” book and illustrative exhibition opens on May 14, 2015, in the new building of the National Library of Russia (St. Petersburg).

For the first time, the rich resources of NLR Department of Literature of Asian and African Countries demonstrate in full. Literature of Oriental Studies was accumulating in the Imperial Public Library since the beginning of its foundation. Now this department’s fund counts to about one million and two hundred thousand books, magazines, newspapers and other media.

The exhibition shows both rare books of XV-XVII centuries, and contemporary publications on history, art, linguistics, and medicine in different languages: Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Indian, African, Hebrew, Yiddish, and others.

Visitors will see the first book printed in the Ethiopian language (Psalms of 1513), the Koran, published in 1787 by personal decree of Catherine II, and also one of the first European Biblical Hebrew grammar books, composed by the famous medieval scholar Sebastian Münster (1527 g). The exhibition shows a renowned Chinese encyclopedia of Illustrations and Writings entitled "Guqin Tushu Jicheng" (Qing Dynasty) - a personal copy of the Russian orientalist Vasily Vasilyev (1818-1900), purchased by him in Beijing.

One section of the exhibition is dedicated to the outstanding Russian Arabist scientist academician Ignatius Krachkovsky (1883-1951). In 1972 the researcher’s widow Vera Krachkovskaya has donated belonging to academic most valuable library, numbering about twenty thousand books, to NLR. A unique piece of exposition is a portrait of the academician, executed by the Soviet graphic master George Vereisky in 1946. Among the exhibits are also the editions from academic’s library and photos from his archive. The exhibition tells about the contemporary Orientalist scholars, performing an active scientific work.

The colorful albums on eastern art are complement the exhibition.

Interesting content on the eastern countries, their history, culture, and languages at the exhibition will drive an attention of oriental culture-lovers, visitors of St. Petersburg and its residents.

The exhibition will work until the 5th of June.