Summary

The introductory article of the present (second) issue of RUBINAITIS is contributed by Kęstutis Urba and focusses on the International Children’s Book Day. The author reminds the reader of the underlying idea of the event, explains its traditions as well as mentioning the main components of the ICBD celebrations in Lithuania and linking it with the jubilee of H. C. Andersen. The article is followed by a message by Shigeo Watanabe.

The bulk of the present issue (4 articles) is devoted to the 190th birth anniversary of H. C. Andersen. In her article “Andersen and Children” the Lithuanian scholar Dalia Striogaitė touches upon the main problems and artistic features of H. C. Andersen’s tales. “Is Andersen a childrenʼs writer” is a question posed by Sigitas Poškus in his article, “The Secret of Longevity”, in which he argues that more than one semantic layers can be distinguished in Andersenʼs tales, so that people of different age and experience read and understand Andersenʼs works in a different way. Johan de Mylius, Director or H. C. Andersenʼs Centre (Odense University), has contributed an article entitled “More than just a Childrenʼs Author” in which the Lithuanian reader will find plenty of new information on H. C .Andersenʼs life and especially on his lesser known genres: novels, travelogues, plays. “H. C. Andersen in Lithuanian”, written by Aldona Augustaitienė deals with translations of Andersenʼs works into Lithuanian. Andersen is a very popular author in Lithuania and first attempts to translate his tales into Lithuanian (mostly from German) go back to the end of the 19th c. The article provides a good starting point for research into the history of Andersenʼs reception in Lithuania and his Lithuanian translations. The section is crowned by H. C. Andersenʼs story, “Holder Danske”, the first Lithuanian translation of Andersenʼs work done from the original, Danish language.

The next section of the magazine presents to the reader the H. C. Andersenʼs Museum in Odense and the H. C. Andersen Centre at Odense University.

An interview with a young Lithuanian poet Sigitas Parulskis his childhood and childrenʼs books appears under the “Books of my Childhood” caption.

The reviews section contains an article by Audronė Glosienė on the problems of disabled people as reflected in modern childrenʼs literature. Vincas Auryla analyses Lithuanian childrenʼs poetry in 1994, and Irena Klimašauskienė reviews the 1994 childrenʼs prose. The section also contains an annotated list of books for children published in Lithuania in 1994.

The section of the magazine devoted to bibliographical matters carries a list of publications on childrenʼs literature in Lithuania as well as Lithuanian authorʼs publications abroad for the year 1994.

The Chronicle carries an overview of the activities of the Lithuanian and other national sections of IBBY, exhibitions, events, etc.

Žurnalas „Rubinaitis“, 1995 Nr. 1 (2)