MIROSLAV SASEK’S CLASSIC CHILDREN’S TRAVEL BOOKS FOR UKRAINIANS
Miroslav Sasek (1916–1980) was a prominent Czech architect and artist who became world famous thanks to his series of children’s travel books titled This is…
The project originated in Paris, where Sasek emigrated to in 1947. Following the rise of communism in Czechoslovakia, he remained in exile. From 1951 to 1957, he worked for the Czech section of Radio Free Europe in Munich. After that, Sasek returned to Paris and, in 1958, began to work on his first illustrated travel book, This Is Paris. The book was published in London in 1959 and was a huge success; just a few months later, This Is London came out. Over the course of 15 years, the author created 18 books that told much more about the world than ordinary guidebooks.
Sasek had a unique gift for feeling the “Genius Loci” (spirit of the place), capturing the essence of each city through details of everyday life and witty texts. In the 1960s and 1970s, the series was published in millions of copies. Although Sasek was a cosmopolitan, he always signed his works in the Czech language, Šašek. Today, his legacy is cared for by the Sasek Foundation in Prague. This publication is the debut of the series in Ukrainian.
Project idea and initiation: NGO International Institute of Cultural Diplomacy.
Partners: Sasek Foundation, Czech Center in Kyiv, Dukh i Litera Publishing House, ARTANGEL LLC, and ELIS LLC.