Language, writing and literature
Language
The Belorussian language is a language of the ethnic population of the Republic of Belarus. In the 16th – 17th centuries the language of Belorussians was the official language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After the territory of Belarus became an integral part of Russia the Russian language began to spread.
In 1990 the Law “On the languages in the Republic of Belarus” was adopted, which declared Belorussian the official language. In conformity with the referendum of May, 14, 1995 the Russian language acquired an equal status. Each nation living in Belarus is conferred with a right to study its own language and use it.
Writing and literature
Literary activity in Belarus started in the far distant past. It is inseparable with the oral folk poetry and folk-lore, which is considered to be one of the richest among the Slavic nations. The arousal of the earliest works of literature on Belorussian lands is connected with the emergence of the alphabet in the 10th century. The cities of Polotsk and Smolensk were major literary centres, where the genre of local chronicles developed and hagiographical works of considerable literary significance arose (“The Life of Yefrossinia of Polotsk”, “The Life of Avraamy of Smolensk”). Reminiscences of the Belorussian (Polotsk) land can be found in the Povest vremennykh let (“Tale of Bygone Years”; Eng. trans., The Russian Primary Chronicle) and in Slovo o polku Igoreve (“The Song of Igor’s Campaign) – the finest works of the Slavic literature.
The integration of Belorussian lands which took place in the 14th – 15th centuries in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where Old Belorussian was the official language, was vital for further shaping and development of Belorussian literature. The chronicles of the 14th – 16th centuries (“The Chronicler of the great dukes of Lithuania”, “The Belorussian-Lithuanian Chronicle of 1446”, “The Chronicle of the great duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Zhamoyda”, “The Chronicle of Bykhov”) are of great interest and importance.
Outstanding examples of Belorussian official writing and judicial thought were the Statutes of the great duchy of Lithuania of 1529, 1566 and 1588.
The literary activity of the Belorussian enlightener, writer and translator Frantsysk Skaryna of Polotsk, who started book-printing in the whole of eastern Europe, was of crucial importance for Belarussian culture. Skaryna translated the Bible into the language, which was close to that of Old Belorussian writing, and printed 23 books of the Bible in 1517 – 1519 in Prague. The first book in the Old Belorussian language on the territory of present-day Belarus was printed by Symon Budny (“Catechism”, edited in 1562 in Nesvizh). In the mid 17th century the Belorussian-Russian poet, playwright and enlightener Simeon Polotsky (Symeon of Polotsk) started his active literary work.
On the whole, up to the first half of the 19th century Belorussian literature developed in conformity with the tendencies that dominated in eastern Europe.
In the first half of the 19th century a new romantic trend emerged that marked the orientation towards the contemporary language and folk-lore. The brightest representative of that trend was the great Polish and Belorussian poet Adam Mickiewicz, who dedicated one of his most outstanding works Pan Tadeusz to Belarus. The start of the literary work of Vincent Dunin-Marzinkevich, who is considered to be the founder of modern Belorussian literature, took place in the first half of the 19th century. He was the author of the collections of poems Vechernitsy, Gapon, etc., the plays Idyllia (“Idyll”), Pinskaya shlakhta.
The most significant person of the late 19th century was Frantyshek Bogushevich (the author of the collections of lyrics Dudka Belorusskaya (“Belorussian pipe”), Smychok Belorussky (“Belorussian bow”), who is considered the first truly national Belorussian writer.
The first legal Belorussian newspapers Nasha Dolya (“Our Lot”) and especially Nasha Niva (“Our Cornfield”) played an important part in the development of Belorussian literature. Their contributors were Yanka Kupala, Yakub Kolas, Eloise Pashkevich, Maxim Bogdanovidh, Zmitrok Byadula, Maxim Goretsky, Constance Builo, Ales Garun etc. Of great significance were the poems and collections Skrypka Belorusskaya (“Belorussian Fiddle”) and Krest na svobody by E. Pashkevich, Zhaleika (“Shepherd’s Pipe), Guslar (“Psaltery Player”), Dorogoi Zhizny (“Along the Path of Life”) by Y. Kupala, his romantic and dramatic poems, plays Pavlinka, Razoryonnoye Gnezdo (“Pillaged Nest”), the collections of works Pesny Zhalosty (“Songs of Grief”), Rodnye obrazy (“Native images”) by Y. Kolas, the collection of poems Vyanok (“Wreath”) by Maxim Bogdanovich – all penetrated with the idea of national identity. Important contribution to the Belorussian prose of that period was made by Maxim Goretsky and Zmitrok Byadula.
During World War II special importance was attributed to publicistic writing and satire. The most significant works of that kind were Pimen Panchanka’s Iransky dnevnik (“Iranian diary”), Arkaszy Kuleshov’s long-runnig verse Znamya Brigady (“Banner of a Brigade”). The best works of war prose were the novels by Kuzma Tshorny Mlechny Put (“The Milky Way”), Poiski Budushego (“In Search of Future”), Bolshoi Den (“Great Day”).
War theme became predominant in the Belorussian literature of the Soviet times. Most noteworthy were the works of prose by Ivan Shamiakin Glubokoye techeniye (“Deep Stream”), Trevozhnoye schastye (“Troubled Happiness”), Ales Adamovich’s Khatynskaya Povest (“The Story of Khatyn”) and his Karately (“Pundits”), Ivan Ptashnikov’s Tartak and Nidorf, Rygor Baradulin’s long-running verse Blockade. Alongside with the war theme Belorussian writers lay emphasis on the problems of rural life (“The Polessye Chronicle” by Ivan Melezh, “Nizhniye Boyduny” by Yanka Bryl a.o.). Vladimir Korotkevich is the brightest representative of the genre of historical prose, to which there was an arousal of interest. He was the author of the novellas Sedaya Legenda (“The Legend of Old Days”), Dikaya Okhota Korolya Stakha (“The Wild Hunting of King Stakh”), of the novel Kolosya Pod Serpom Tvoim (“The Spikes under your Sickle”) a.o.
The mid 1950 – 1970s were marked with the emergence of many talented young poets, who possessed unique creative personalities: Grygory Borodulin, Gennady Buravkin, Oleg Loiko, Nil Gilevich, Yevgeniya Yanishits, Sergei Zakonnikov, Gennady Pashkov, Ales Rozanov a.o. The most noteworthy names of the Belorussian drama of that time were Andrey Makayonok, Vladimir Butromeyev, Alexei Dudarev.
After 1986 the Tschernobyl theme was given special concern (Ivan Shamiakin’s novella Zlaya Zvezda (“An Angry Star”, the lyrics of Gennady Buravkin, Sergei Zakonnikov).
The creative effort of Belorussian writers is supported by the Belorussian Writers’ Union, which is a non-profit organization. Works of Belorussian poetry and prose were translated into many foreign languages.
In 2007 the 125th anniversaries of Belarusian popular poets Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas were widely celebrated across the country. Multiple art exhibitions, scientific conferences, festivals, concerts and actions were timed to the date. Representatives of Belarusian diaspora abroad – in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Moldova, and Russia – were in the thick of the festivities. In particular, two streets were named after Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas in the Polish town of Hajnowka. A commemorative sign to Yanka Kupala was unveiled in Gdansk. Riga played host to the second international festival of Belarusian songs. The Embassy of Ukraine in Belarus presented the first total Ukrainian translation of Yakub Kolas’ poem Novaya Zemlya (new land).
Belarusian Written Language Days held since 1994 are meant to enhance the prestige of the written language as the foundation of the centuries-old culture. The holiday is a tribute of deep respect for great Belarusian enlighteners Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Kirill of Turov, Frantsisk Skorina, Symon Bydnyi, Vasily Tiapinsky and others.
Now a tradition, Belarusian Written Language Days are held in towns renowned as historical centres of culture, science, literature and book printing. The holiday has been held in Polotsk, Turov, Novogrudok, Nesvizh, Orsha, Pinsk, Zaslavl, Mstislavl, Mir, Kamenets, and Postavy. In 2007 Shklov welcomed the tradition. The event gathered over 2 thousand guests, including delegations from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Belarus. During the festival of books and the press pavilions and theme stands dedicated to the history of Belarusian book printing and the country’s modern books were deployed, Belarusian mass media were widely represented. Presentations of books and periodicals, meetings with writers and journalists, the awarding of laureates of the national contest Book Art, of the national contest for the last year’s best work of art Golden Cupid cannot entirely fill the list of events held during the Belarusian Written Language Days.
Publishing activities are carried out by 545 publishers and publishing institutions of different forms of ownership and 491 economic entities performing polygraph activity. 5.5 new books are produced for each Belarus’s resident annually.
