Exhibitions

Slovenian Literary Modernism in the Czech Environ ment
Date: 27 March – 31 April, 2024
The exhibition features the phenomenon of Slovenian literary modernism, with the focus on its key personalities, the forms of the influence of the Czech environment on their work and especially, on the reception of their work in the Czech environment. Special attention is paid to Ivan Cankar and Zofka Kveder or to individual translators from Slovenian, active in the first decades of the 20th century, as well as to the Slovenian theatre performances on Czech stages or the reception of Czech literature and culture in Slovenia in the period of modernism. The display thus provides evidence of rich Slovenian-Czech cultural relations that continue to this day.
The exhibition, organized by the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, University of Nova Gorica and the National Library of the CR – Slavonic Library, has been prepared as part of the international conference „Transformations of Intimacy in Central and East European Literatures. (1890–1920)“.
Opening ceremony

Montenegrin Cyrillic Printing of the 15th and 16th Centuries

Montenegro is one of the first countries, in which printing was developed after the invention of printing press. Thanks to the ruling Crnojević family, Oktoich or The Octoechos of the First Tone was published in 1494 in Cetinje, the capital of the then independent Principality of Zeta. It was the first book printed in Cyrillic in Southeastern Europe. Crnojević´s printing house was also one of the first to print books in Cyrillic script. The printing activity of Đurađ Crnojević, the Lord of Zeta in 1490–1496, was continued by Božidar Vuković (1460–1539), who printed his books in Venice due to the Ottomans conquest of the Montenegro territory. Books published by the two founders can rightfully be ranked among the most precious works of the time, which significantly influenced not only regional but also wider European book culture.
The exhibition was prepared by Matica crnogorska and has been organized in association with the Slavonic Library. Display panels with texts in Czech and English clearly present this significant initial period of Slavic book printing, its key personalities and their work. Thanks to many reproductions, a visitor can discover the most important works published in the printing offices mentioned above. Two titles – Psalter with Cantos (1495) printed by Ðurađ Crnojević and Festal Menalon (1538) by Božidar Vuković – are featured in the form of phototypical editions.
Date: 6 March - 30 April 2024
Poster - Invitation ceremony - Photogallery

Vasil Bykav - 100
The exhibition on the occasion of the 100th birthday anniversary of a Belarussian writer features his works  and their translations from the collections of the Slavonic Library, as well as original letters, photographs and personal objects.
Vasil Bykav (19. 6. 1924 – 22. 6. 2003) was and still is one of the most important and most read Belarussian writers, both in his country and abroad. For the Belarussians, he remains the great moral authority. Films, theatre plays and also a ballet were made based on his literary works. Most of his novels were translated in Czech. As an opponent of the Lukashenko´s régime, he spent the last years of his life mostly abroad. On the invitation of Václav Havel, he lived several months in Prague.
The exhibition has been organised by the Skaryna Educational Association and the National Library of the CR – Slavonic Library.
Date: 20 June – 31 August, 2024
Opening ceremony