An event dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the prominent Uzbek art collector Igor Savitsky took place in London on December 16. Organized by the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press, which has specialized in translating and publishing works of classic and contemporary authors from Central Asia for nearly 20 years, the event was attended by over 80 guests from England, Scotland, Australia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Russia.
The event featured a presentation of the fourth volume of Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art Almanac 2026, including works by 35 authors from 9 countries, which emphasized the truly international scale of the project and its role as a cultural bridge between languages and national traditions.
The almanac placed special emphasis on the 110th anniversary of Igor Savitsky’s birth. His works, along with masterpieces from the collection of the legendary Savitsky Museum in Nukus (Uzbekistan), were published to give them more exposure to a wider international audience. The almanac also features works of contemporary artists and poets from Uzbekistan—artists Nigina Muminova and Ksenia Talatkhudjaeva, charity comic book author Timur Akhmedjanov, and poet and writer Andrey Grodzinsky.
The event included a presentation of books published by Hertfordshire Press in 2025: “Fairy Tales for Children” in Russian and English by Elena Makarova, winner of the Maria Shevel Prize for the Best Children’s Book, as well as two book series by Uzbek influencer Gulchekhra-begim Makhmudova: the “Flask of the Crystal Hookah” detective series about the treasures of the Great Silk Road, for adults, and the “Adventures of the Spirit of Time: Legends of the Great Silk Road” fairy tale series, for children.
The event also featured a presentation of the second volume of Timur Akhmedjanov’s graphic novel, “Elish and the Wicker Tale,” dedicated to children with autism spectrum disorder, translated into Russian by Ksenia Moskalenko. Timur and Ksenia emphasized the significance of this project: “The issue of inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder is becoming increasingly pressing, especially amid global changes, and Elish’s story, which began in 2020 during the pandemic, is more relevant today than ever.”
As a big friend and member of the Friends of Nukus Museum and publisher of Savitsky’s biography, Marat Akhmedjanov, founder of Hertfordshire Press, emphasized that Igor Savitsky’s legacy continues to inspire new generations of creative people, shaping the future heritage of Central Asian countries and the world.
