Local historian Anatoly Smirnov has long transformed into the famous storyteller. For this, he has a special costume that helps create the image of the world-renowned author. Wearing a top hat and tailcoat, Anatoly Nikolaevich goes for a walk, and he is already considered one of the local attractions, being called the 'Kasimov Andersen.' This masquerade is not just a whim. No matter how strange it may seem, there is indeed a connection between the author of 'Thumbelina' and the small Meshchera town. Anna Ganzen, a well-known translator of Andersen's fairy tales, was born in Kasimov. Thanks to her work, readers in our country received the most accurate translations of these tales. Previously, Russian readers became acquainted with the works through double translation: from Danish to German, and then from German to Russian, which led to the loss of many details. Anna Ganzen was able to deeply understand Andersen's language and convey the remarkably subtle world of his fairy tales to Russian-speaking readers.