Kęstutis Kasparavičius illustration exhibition "Thumbelina". Based on the fairy tale by H. C. Andersen

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania invites you to visit the exhibition "Thumbelina" and revisit the fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) and illustrated by artist Kęstutis Kasparavičius.

"Thumbelina" is one of the most famous fairy tales by the Danish writer H. Ch. Andersen, first published in 1835. It is a story about a tiny girl, only one inch tall, born from a magical flower blossom. Thumbelina faces many trials – she is kidnapped by an ugly toad, later ends up with a cockchafer, finds shelter with a field mouse, and is forced to marry a mole…

The exhibition presents 15 illustrations, the history of which K. Kasparavičius describes as follows: "In the few years leading up to Andersen's 200th anniversary, I drew illustrations for three books by the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The publishing house 'Nieko rimto', with whom we had just begun our friendship at the time, suggested I illustrate an Andersen fairy tale and even allowed me to choose it myself. After mentally reviewing all the fairy tales of his that I knew, I chose 'Thumbelina' without much hesitation.

I would probably choose it even now – in my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful of Andersen's fairy tales. It is not very long, but it contains a myriad of very interesting situations and episodes. Therefore, it is very suitable for illustration. In modern terms, it could be called a runaway bride story. It tells of a tiny girl whose bed was a walnut shell and who, being so small and fragile, overcame a difficult and adventure-filled journey until she finally reached freedom and the land of her dreams." (Kasparavičius, Kęstutis. Kasparatorija. Vilnius: Graphic Art Centre, 2024, p. 88.)

The exhibition is part of the National Library's cultural program "A Year with Denmark: Bridges of Culture and Solidarity." The exhibition is open from May 8 to August 31 at the National Library's Children's and Youth Literature Centre (1st floor).

The exhibition will be accompanied by creative hours. You can find out about upcoming events on the National Library's website and Facebook accounts.

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Kęstutis Kasparavičius (b. 1954) is one of the most prominent creators of children's books in Lithuania. He has created illustrations for more than 60 books for Lithuanian and international publishers, and his books have been translated into 28 foreign languages. K. Kasparavičius is the only creator from Lithuania to be nominated for the highest international award – the "Little Nobel" – the H. Ch. Andersen Medal (in the illustrator category in 2008, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2022), and he was awarded the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Culture and Art Prize (2018).