Russia's Kaliningrad Digitizes Kant's Works

A woman walks on a street during snowfall in Moscow, Russia, 30 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
A woman walks on a street during snowfall in Moscow, Russia, 30 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
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Russia's Kaliningrad Digitizes Kant's Works

A woman walks on a street during snowfall in Moscow, Russia, 30 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
A woman walks on a street during snowfall in Moscow, Russia, 30 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV

In a once-German corner of Russia, an ambitious project to digitize hundreds of rare and ancient books is under way.
"The principal mission of libraries is to preserve books," said Ruslan Aksyonkin, an expert at the culture and education center at Baltic University in the city of Kaliningrad.
"A huge project is currently under way in Russia aimed at scanning all pre-Revolution [of 1917] books."
In Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast and separated from the rest of Russia, around 450 books dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries, some more accessible than others, are to be digitized.
The centerpiece are the books that once belonged to German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, best known for his "Critique of Pure Reason" of 1781 - a ground-breaking but dense 800-page treatise on the relationship between knowledge and experience or perception.
Kant spent his entire life, from 1724 to 1804, in what was then the Prussian city of Koenigsberg, and the project is part of citywide celebrations of next year's 300th anniversary of his birth.
Little of the city Kant would have known is left today, much of the historic center having been flattened by British air raids in 1944, in World War Two, Reuters reported.
After Germany's surrender, the city was ceded to the Soviet Union and resettled with Soviet newcomers, while its German population were expelled.
Even so, modern-day Kaliningrad remains fond of its most famous German resident, despite the abstruseness of his ideas.
The city's university bears his name, and Kant's tomb and a small exhibition on the philosopher have pride of place in the restored German cathedral.
"There are very few authentic items linked to Kant," said Marina Yadova, deputy director at the cathedral's museum. "But we do have certain items, and they are Kant's works published during his lifetime."
Some of the books being digitized, unopened for centuries, contain dried leaves or handkerchiefs, as well as scribbles in the margins of their fragile pages.
"Ancient books can be particularly finicky. They're not always stable. Typically, they're very thick, often with more than 600 pages," said Aksyonkin.
"There are books that seem resistant to scanning."



Manga Arabia Launches Webtoons for Arab World Audiences 

Manga Arabia has partnered with Korean Kidari Studio and V-bros to offer an inspiring cultural experience, recognizing webtoons as an important cultural tool that is popular among the new generation of readers. (SPA)
Manga Arabia has partnered with Korean Kidari Studio and V-bros to offer an inspiring cultural experience, recognizing webtoons as an important cultural tool that is popular among the new generation of readers. (SPA)
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Manga Arabia Launches Webtoons for Arab World Audiences 

Manga Arabia has partnered with Korean Kidari Studio and V-bros to offer an inspiring cultural experience, recognizing webtoons as an important cultural tool that is popular among the new generation of readers. (SPA)
Manga Arabia has partnered with Korean Kidari Studio and V-bros to offer an inspiring cultural experience, recognizing webtoons as an important cultural tool that is popular among the new generation of readers. (SPA)

Manga Arabia, part of the Saudi Research and Media Group, announced on Tuesday that it was publishing a selection of webtoons in Arabic on its Manga Arabia Youth.

The step reflects Manga Arabia's dedication to bring unique Korean works to appeal to audiences across the Arab world.

Manga Arabia is on a mission to combat piracy by providing authorized original content through legitimate frameworks. It has partnered with Korean Kidari Studio and V-bros to offer an inspiring cultural experience, recognizing webtoons as an important cultural tool that is popular among the new generation of readers.

Webtoons represented a goal that Manga Arabia had been striving to achieve, alongside a series of successes over the years, including the launch of the Manga Arabia Youth and Manga Arabia Kids magazines in both print and digital formats.

The user base of these magazines' apps has surpassed 12 million users across more than 195 countries, with over 220 distribution points in the Arab world, boasting more than 250,000 printed copies each month.

In a move aimed at expanding the company's international influence, Manga Arabia also launched Manga International, based in Tokyo, Japan.