'Winter with a Book' Event Featuring Slovak Publications Held in Backi Petrovac

  Backi Petrovac, 30 January (TASR) - A event called 'Winter with a Book' began at the Stefan Homola Library in the Serbian town of Backi Petrovac near Novi Sad on Thursday (29 January), featuring last year’s publications of the Slovak Cultural Club (SKK) in Serbia, the organiser of the literary event.
        The latest books were presented by SKK chairman Vladimir Valentik, who announced that preparations are underway for publishing a third children's book by TASR's Vojvodina correspondent Miroslav Gaspar.
        Valentik said that the club recently expanded its publishing activities. "Within the 'Kubko' series, a book by Katarina Mosnakova Baglasova titled 'The Adventures of Luba the Frog and Jan the Stork' has also been published. It's unusual in the context of our history of children's literature," Valentik has told TASR.
        Valentik specified that Slovak children's literature in today's Vojvodina has more than a 200-year tradition. He added that Juraj Rohon, a parish priest from the Serbian village of Hlozany, was writing for children as early as in the late 18th century, and that literary production for children continued throughout the 19th century.
        "Children's literature here experienced an expansion in the 20th century, taking its modern form thanks to Juraj Tusiak, Michal Babinka and writers such as Tomas Celovsky and Zoroslav Jesensky. Today, largely thanks to continued publishing activity, we have a group of younger children's authors who have already published several books. One of them is Miroslav Gaspar, whose third book we're about to publish. However, the most prolific author among the younger children's writers is Katarina Mosnakova Baglasova," noted Valentik.        
        'Winter with a Book' has been held regularly since 2007. It's a travelling event during which the organiser presents its latest publications in various Slovak communities across Vojvodina.