Latvia: new funds for children’s literature and culture

Hansabanka has signed a cooperation agreement with the publishing company Liels un mazs (Big and Small) and donated LVL 100,000 to the children?s literature and culture development plan Mazais bus liels (Small Will Be Big) already this year. It is the largest ever donation to a culture project for children made in Latvia so far. Thanks to financial support from Hansabanka, books of original Latvian children?s literature with high-quality illustrations by artists would cost only LVL 3.5-7, not LVL 15 apiece. The ultimate purpose is to use projects innovative in terms of both contents and artistic design for promoting development of children?s culture and book-making environment in Latvia and diversification of the contemporary book supply because currently mostly fairy-tales and poems are being published for children. The authors of the Project have promised to suggest various ideas to writers and artists, including those without previous experience in working on children?s literature. Currently only about 25-30 original books for children are being published in Latvia annually. It is also planned to publish a novel for teenagers, picture books, translated children?s literature and an album The Street Art with graffiti drawn by teenagers. The album will have texts also in Russian and English. More info at www.hansabanka.lv