After the Second World War, thousands of children found themselves in Displaced Persons’ camps, where adults created self-published books to teach, entertain and comfort them with stories. The British Library holds many of these publications.
17 August 2026Blog series European studies
Author Katya Rogatchevskaia, Lead Curator East European Collections
According to various estimates, between 40 and 60 million people were displaced in Europe alone after the Second World War. They included concentration camp survivors, prisoners of war, former forced labourers, political prisoners, evacuees, deportees, stateless persons, and people who had fled their countries or homes as the front lines advanced through them. The so-called Displaced Persons camps, initially administered by the Allied forces, were established to provide them with shelter. Conditions were very basic, and food supplies were often scarce. Most of the camps were closed by 1952, but the last one did not shut down until 1959. Two years after the war, around 850,000 people were still living in displaced persons camps across Europe.
What at first seemed a straightforward task of helping people return home proved difficult and, in many cases, impossible. Homes had been destroyed, borders had changed, and the advance of communist rule made many Eastern Europeans unwilling to return to the Soviet-controlled zone. Among the 1.2 million people who refused repatriation were many Ukrainians and Belarusians.
As with any refugee crisis, children were among the most vulnerable. As soon as adults had managed to feed and protect their families, they devoted considerable effort to providing education and entertainment for the younger generation. And what better way to do so than through stories? Stories help us understand others, spark the imagination, and experience worlds beyond our own. It is therefore not surprising that, alongside other books printed on inexpensive paper using basic typographic facilities, a great many fairy tales were published.
For example, Ukrainian children could read translations of the Brothers Grimm.
Cover of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Kazky, Z nimetsʹkoho pereklav S. Haisʹkyĭ; za red. P. Kolisnoho. (Munich, 1946). RB.23.a.32011.
In this edition, the characters from the German folk tales looked like Cossacks. Cinderella was given the charming Ukrainian name Popeliushka (also derived from the word ‘popil’, meaning ‘ash’), while her stepmother and wicked stepsisters wore the traditional Ukrainian headscarf known as a solokha.
A character in Cossack dress from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Kazky.
Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Kazky.
Translations of works by well-known foreign authors were also popular. Both Ukrainians and Belarusians translated Oscar Wilde, but I am especially fond of this edition of a Belarusian translation of ‘The Happy Prince’, produced on a simple offset printing press directly from a typescript.
Cover of Oscar Wilde, Shchasʹlivy prynts: kazka. Peraklad z anhelʹskaha L. Khvalʹko (Vatenshṫet, 1947). 12256.dd.8.
Belarusian and Ukrainian folk tales were also widely available. One of my favourites is a small book entitled Muzyka i chertsi (‘Music and the Imps’) illustrated with striking lithographic images in black, white and blue, complemented by unusual blue text throughout.
Cover of Muzyka i chertsi. Belaruskaia narodnaia kazka. Iliustravau A. Skarakhod (Goslar, 1947). 12452.a.10.
Text and illustration from Muzyka i chertsi.
Ukrainian publishers also produced several collections of folk tales as part of a series, of which the British Library holds number 2.
Cover of Ukraïns′ki narodni kazky. Zbirka II ‘Ukrainian popular tales’ (Heidenau, 1946). 012593.df.15.
We still know relatively little about many of the people behind these publications. Some books remain anonymous, while for others the information available about editors, translators and illustrators is limited to their dates of birth and death, if that. However, several prominent cultural figures contributed to the creation of children's books during this period.
Mykhailo Mykhalevych (1906–1984) was a graphic artist, theatre designer and icon painter. He illustrated The Flying Ship and Other Ukrainian Folk Tales.
Cover of Letiuchyi korabelʹi inshi ukraïnsʹki narodni kazky. [red. B. Danylovycha; maliunky mysttsia M. Mykhalevycha]. (Regensburg, 1946). RF.2023.a.43.
The prolific Ukrainian writer, poet, translator, scholar and public figure Bohdan Lepky (1872–1941) wrote a fairy tale in verse about an orphan girl named Ksenia and her miraculous encounter with the Twelve Months. The edition held by the British Library was published after the author's death by the Ukrainian community in Canada.
Page from Bohdan Lepky, Kazka pro Kseniu i dvanadtsiat’ misiatsiv (Winnipeg, 1955). 12837.m.32.
Today, history has taken a painful turn that echoes the past. Many Ukrainian children, and some Belarusian children, have once again been displaced. Fortunately, it is now much easier to provide them with high-quality books in their own languages. We continue to collect examples of these publications as reminders of people's resilience and strength.
We stand with Ukraine in its struggle to protect its children and secure their future. We also support the people of Belarus in their efforts to ensure that Belarusian children can grow up in a free and democratic country. Stories alone cannot prevent displacement, but they can offer comfort, preserve cultural identity and help children imagine a better future. Kind and wise stories still matter.
This blog is part of our European Studies blog series, promoting the work of our curators, recent acquisitions, digitisation projects, and collaborative projects outside the Library.
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