On March 12th, a solemn opening of the book exhibition “From Martin Kuhta’s printing house” timed to the 140th birth anniversary of one of the most prominent printers of Belarusian books of the early ХХ century.
Martin Kuhta is a printer and publisher of books in Belarusian, Russian, Polish and Lithuanian languages. In 1906 he founded in Vilna his own printing house with the right to print books, newspapers and journals in European languages which operated till 1918. Before the First World War it was one of the biggest printing houses in Vilna. Belarusian editing communities such as Nasha niva, Nasha hata, Palachanin, Belaruskae vydaveckae tavarystva cooperated with Martin Kuhta’s printing house. It is known at least 60 book editions in the Belarusian languages printed by Martin Kuhta between 1906 and 1915. The celebrated Vyanok (The Wreath) by Maxim Bogdanovich, the only book published in the poet’s lifetime, was released there as well.
The printer published editions in Polish and a significant number of Lithuanian books, brochures, periodicals (newspapers Balsas, Lietuvis, Lietuvos aidas, Lietuvos žinios, Viltis, journals Garsas, Lietuvių tauta, Scaron;viesa etc).
At the event deputy director of the National Library of Belarus for research work and publishing activity Alexander Susha told about a precious literary heritage transferred by Belarusian writers to descendants owing to the printing house of Martin Kuhta. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to Belarus Evaldas Ignatavicius reminded of the epoch of cultural blossoming when our states had made a great step forward. “This is a very significant and interesting exhibition”, the Ambassador said having expressed the readiness to cooperate in a cultural sphere henceforth.
Editor in chief of the publishing house “Mastackaja litaratura” Victor Shnip and head of the branch of the State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature “The Literary Museum of Maxim Bogdanovich” Marina Zapartyka acquainted guests with the history of editions presented at the exhibition. The latter recited verses by Maxim Bogdanovich dedicated to Martin Kuhta’s printing house.
The offered exhibition presents Vilna editions of the early ХХ century printed by Martin Kuhta in Cyrillic and Roman types (from the collections of the National Library of Belarus): original first issues of the newspaper Nasha niva, first original editions Belarusian Calendar (1910–1914), one collection of M. Bogdanovich’s verses Vyanok published in his lifetime with the poet’s autograph (1913), editions of Y. Kolas’ Rodnyja javy (1914), Y. Kupala’s A hto tam idze? (1910), К. Buylo’s Kurgannaja kvetka (1914), М. Goretsky’s Zelenja (1914), Belarusian textbooks Karotkaja historyja Belarusi (1910) by V. Lastovsky, Belaruskaja gramatyka dlja shkol (1918) by B. Tarashkevich, Pieršaja čytanka: knižyca dla biełaruskich dzietak dziela nawuki čytańnia (1916), Siejbit: druhaja, paśla łementara, čytanka dla pačatkowych škoł (1918) etc.
The exhibition runs till 26 April, 2015.
Contact number: (375 17) 293 25 85.
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