The new edition of "The Little Mermaid" with stunning illustrations by Christian Birmingham is, without exaggeration, the most beautiful illustrated version of Andersen's fairy tale: the book contains 35 huge illustrations, each of which is a real masterpiece, including 12 huge canvases, each one a full spread.
We took as a basis the very first translation of "The Little Mermaid" into Russian, made 120 years ago by the spouses Anna and Peter Ganzen, reworking and comparing it with the original source. The text was brought into line with the style of the modern Russian language and adapted for children of primary school age.
We have also restored a very important narrative line that disappeared from the Ganzen translation after the 1917 revolution and was not included in other translations for ideological reasons. In Andersen's tale, the second main motive that prompted the little mermaid to take human form was the desire to acquire an immortal soul, which every person had and which allowed them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death. It is the passionate desire to acquire an immortal soul, which could be obtained through the love of a handsome prince (and not just this love in itself), that leads the little mermaid to the witch, prompts her to drink the magic potion and endure the torments of earthly existence.
By losing the prince, the little mermaid lost not just her life - she lost the opportunity to enter eternity and had to go into oblivion, and this circumstance increases the tragedy of the situation before the denouement. In our version of the fairy tale, this line is fully restored, and the very context of this touching and bright story gives the opportunity to talk with the child about eternal values - about love and fidelity, death and immortality, the struggle between good and evil in the soul of each of us.
Attention! The book has a small external defect - the binding is damaged. The damage is only on the front cover, the inside of the book is not damaged. This is unfortunate, but does not affect its content. Please carefully examine the photos before making a purchase.
Recommended reader age: 5+
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Artist: Christian Birmingham
Translation: Anna Vasilievna Ganzen, Pyotr Gottfridovich Ganzen
Year of release: 2020
Publisher: Dobraya kniga
Pages: 68
Cover type: Hardcover
Dimensions: 306x255x10 mm
ISBN: 978-5-98124-656-2