It all started with F. Skaryna

In general however experts on literature consider Francishak Skaryna, a prominent Belarusian humanist and the first publisher, as an initiator of the first Belarusian-Lithuanian literary relations who was publishing his books in Vilnia in 1523. He has been commemorated with a ‘Memory Board’ on building 19 on Vialikaya street in the capital of Lithuania (it used to be a palace of a burmister Yakub Babic).

Professor Adam Maldzis is researching in depth the Lithuanian literature in Belarus and Professor Alma Lapinskene does the same with Belarusian literature in Lithuania. Actually, Adam Madzis in cooperation with Alma Lapinskene, the Head of the Lithuanian Association of Belarusian Studies, published a joint research paper “Echoes of the Friend’s voices”.

In the Soviet Era in 1977 an “Anthology of the Lithuanian Poetry” was published in Belarus and presented 42 Lithuanian authors. Also over 30 poets, including outstanding Salameya Nerys, were translated into the Belarusian language from the original language by Ales Razanau. After the fall of the Soviet Union Belarusian poesy was translated into the Lithuanian language randomly. They were published in Lithuanian cultural magazines. However during those times publication of the contemporary Belarusian poesy and its anthology was not the case. Therefore this year two books by Belarusian authors translated into Lithuanian were published: “Hunting in the Edem Valley” by Ales Razanau and poesy anthology “Light in Windows”.

The books were presented in Vilnius and in Minsk

Firstly a presentation of the books took place in Vilnius in October at the European Humanities University and in the Union of Lithuanian Writers. Ales Razanau started his speech in Lithuanian which surprised many of the students present, who only started studying local language. Alma Lapinskene in her tern welcomed students in the Belarusian language. Poems by Razanov were cited in the Belarusian language by their author and in Lithuanian by the interpreter at the EHU.

Ambassador E. Bagdonas: “The Belarusian language was a ‘chancellery’ language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania”

On 12 November a presentation of the two books by Belarusian authors translated into the Lithuanian language took place at the Lithuanian Embassy in Minsk.

Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus Edminas Bagdonas opened the event in both languages, he already speaks Belarusian very well. He recalled that the Belarusian language as a “chancellery language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and that it was widely used in our countries”. “For us, Lithuanians, the Belarusian language was and still is a very close language. In my point of view it is important that the Belarusian language being one of the Slavic languages, has more of the Lithuanian character compared with the others. It serves as an evidence of the closeness and similarity of our nations and also reaffirms our obligation to retain the closeness of our cultures”, said the Ambassador.

“Light in Windows” is a compilation of 140 poems by 24 poets translated into the Lithuanian language by prominent translators Valdas Shimkus, Valdas Brazunas, Jonas Stralkunas. The Lithuanian Ambassador Edminas Bogdanas pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania provided funding for the publication. Anthology is a non-commercial project, said the publisher Vilius Guzausas, “books are sold however not enough for a publisher to make a living”.

The print run of the both books is relatively small, only 500 copies each. Mr. Guzauskas said that Lithuanian poesy as well was issued nowadays in few copies due to the existing stereotype that people today were not reading poesy.

Belarusian literature is European literature

The author of the anthology “Light in Windows”, PhD Gendryk Piatkevich, has no doubts about the ‘European’ nature of the works of Belarusian writers, “I would not even say that the Belarusian literature has to find its way through, people know it. It should only be brought into the masses (long time ago there were so-called “book-carriers”). Then everyone will be aware of it”.

Ales Razanau cited an extract from his “Hunting in the Edem Valley” and Laima Lapinskene cited the same fragment in the Lithuanian language. Actually, poems by Ales Razanau were performed by the Ambassador Edminas Bagdonas as well.

The concept of the “Light in Windows” implemented by the author was to join together works of ‘the middle-age generation poets’ (Raisa Baravikova, Yaugenia Yanishchyts, Nina Matsiash, Uladzimir Niakiaev, Ales Razanau, Sergey Sakonnikau), works of ‘young generation poets’ (Valiantsina Aksak, Eduard Akulin, Uladzimir Arlou, Irina Bagdanovich, Galina Bulyka, Leanid Galubovich, Adam Globus, Leanid Dranko-Maisiuk, Andrey Khadanovich, Ales Kasko, Ales Pashkevich, Ales Pismiankou, Sergey Minkin and Tatiana Sapach). Poems by Valdas Brazhunas were also cited at the event, who translated into Lithuanian the majority of poems of the mentioned above anthology. The three-hour event closed with speeches by the Chairman of the Union of Belarusian Writes Ales Pashkevich and by the Ambassador Edminas Bagdonas.

Ludmila Korsak