The Deputy Director of the State Archive of the Vitebsk Region took part in the opening of the “Library Day” and in the award ceremony for participants in the competition of author’s book illustrations “Drawing the magical world of Hottabych”

“Old Man Hottabych” is a Soviet story-fairy tale by Lazar Lagin about the adventures of the pioneer Volka Kostylkov, who discovered a jug with a genie named Hassan Abdurrahman ibn Hottab who had been sitting in it for three and a half thousand years. Lagina’s fairy tale first saw the light in 1938 – first in Pionerskaya Pravda, and then in the Pioneer magazine, where it was published from issue to issue. Two years later, the story was published as a separate book with illustrations by Konstantin Rotov.

How are “Old Man Hottabych” and Vitebsk connected? It’s simple! Lazar Iosifovich Lagin (real name Ginzburg) was born on November 21 [December 4], 1903 in Vitebsk. In the northern capital there is a monument to Hottabych.

In honor of the 120th anniversary of the birth of the writer Lazar Lagin and in honor of the 85th anniversary of the publication of “Old Man Hottabych,” the city competition “Drawing the Magical World of Hottabych” was announced, which was held on the basis of the Vitebsk Regional Library named after V.I. Lenin with the information support of the Editorial Board of the Vitebsk city newspapers “Vitbichi” and “Evening Vitebsk”.

First, the competition works were exhibited at the Day of Belarusian Literature in Gorodok on September 2–3, 2023, and are now presented in the library.

On October 14, a ceremonial award ceremony for the winners took place.

Deputy Director of the State Archive of the Vitebsk Region Buevich T.V., as a member of the jury, took part in the award ceremony, which took place during the opening of the “Library Day” in the foyer of the Vitebsk Regional Library named after V.I. Lenin, and presented diplomas to the winners of the younger age group.

1. Deputy director of the archive Buevich T.V. – member of the competition jury during a speech at the awards ceremony for the winners.

2. The youngest winner of the competition

3. Group photo of the competition winners and jury members