![[ Photograph: Vasil Bykau, 1989 ]](bykau.jpg)
Photo Credit: Sign of Misfortune, translated as |
News Articles about Vasil' Uladzimiravich Bykaŭ(Васіль Уладзіміравіч Быкаў; name also spelled: Bykov; Vasil' Bykaw)Fiction WriterNote: Cyrillic Belarusian and any other special character sets on this page are in Unicode (UTF-8) font encoding. |
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News Article: Opposition Organization Launches Vasil Bykau «For Freedom of Thought» Award
"Instituted by the Movement for Freedom, an opposition organization led by Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the award, a marble and bronze piece made by sculptor Viktar Kopach, will be presented to three Belarusians in the renowned author’s birthplace, the village of Bychki near Ushachy, Vitsyebsk region, on June 26 [2008], opposition activist Pavel Mazheyka told BelaPAN."
"The annual award will be bestowed on people “who contribute to the creation of an independent Belarusian community and the return of Belarus to the European family.”"
"Prize winners are to be selected by a panel of more than 30 prominent Belarusian art figures and scholars, including Bykau’s widow, Iryna, Ryhor Baradulin, Nil Hilevich, Henadz Burawkin, Adam Maldzis, Svyatlana Aleksiyevich, Uladzimir Arlow, Volha Ipatava, Radzim Haretski, Aleh Trusaw and Ivonka Survila."
"The ceremony was held at the country’s only Vasil Bykau museum, which is funded through donations from the public. “Today’s ceremony is an attempt to draw the attention of the public, the city and national authorities to the museum and its condition,” Mr. Mazheyka said."
"The Hrodna authorities have refused to unveil a tablet on the house where the writer lived for many years or name a street after him."
Source: Belorusskie Novosti, June 19, 2008
News Article: Vasyl Bykaŭ Remains Belarusian National
" 'My wife and I simply requested to let us live for a more or less extended period of time in the Czech Republic, which is necessary for my literature work and medical treatment as the one, suffering from the chronic lungs’ problems. I received this right in December 2002 not without president Havel’s assistance. Any attempts to make a political action out of this are provocative and worthy of condemnation. 'Vasyl Bykaŭ is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus,' – these words of the Belarusian national writer have been circulated today by the Belarusian center in Prague."
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; 16:59, 27/12/2002
News Article: Belarusian Writer Finds Refuge in Czech Republic
"Official relations between Prague and Minsk deteriorated after Czech authorities denied a visa to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, barring him from attending the NATO summit in Prague on 21-22 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline" 12, 13, 14, and 15 November 2002). AM"
Source: RFE/RL Newsline, CEE, 23/12/2002
News Article: Васіль Быкаў будзе жыць у Чэхіі
"Радыё Свабода запыталася ў Васіля Ўладзімеравіча, зь якімі пачуцьцямі ён прыехаў у Прагу. “У Чэхію я прабіўся кружным шляхам, празь іншыя землі і народы. Таксама неблагія, зь вялікай культурай і найлепшымі памкненьнямі ў сучаснай палітыцы Эўропы. Але заўжды чэхі мне здаваліся найлепшымі з усіх эўрапейцаў. І ня толькі таму, што славяне, што культурна зьвязаныя зь беларускім народам і беларускай гісторыяй, але і таму, што чэхі як ніхто засьведчылі ў гісторыі сваю прыхільнасьць да дэмакратыі і што найлепшы эўрапейскі прэзыдэнт – гэта чэскі прэзыдэнт Вацлаў Гавэл. Я даўно марыў прыехаць у Чэхію, і цяпер мае мары зьдзейсьніліся. Ну а астатняе пакажа час”, - адказаў пісьменьнік."
"У ранейшых сваіх інтэрвію Быкаў казаў, што пакуль ня бачыць для сябе магчымасьці жыць у цяперашняй Беларусі. Сапраўды, цкаваньне Васіля Быкава некаторымі набліжанымі да кіраўніка Беларусі асобамі параўнальнае з тым, што было ў 1960-ыя гады і пра што Быкаў напісаў у сваіх успамінах, якія нядаўна ўпершыню прагучалі на хвалях Радыё Свабода. Дарэчы, выглядае, што неўзабаве ўспаміны выйдуць у Менску асобнай кнігай у прыватным выдавецтве. “Кніга выдаецца ў Беларусі, у адным незалежным выдавецтве. Я думаю, што там яе рэдагаваньне і ўвесь працэс паліграфічны праходзіць даволі пасьпяхова, і я думаю, што недзе пры канцы года, можа быць, на пачатку наступнага, кніга зьявіцца ў кнігарнях”."
"Васіль Быкаў ня любіць казаць пра тое, што звычайна завецца “творчымі плянамі”, але ўсё ж крыху распавеў: “Магчыма, трошкі адпачну і адыду ад клопатаў, зьвязаных зь пераездам – і пачну працаваць, так я спадзяюся. Гэта будзе, можа быць, нешта зьвязанае з Чэхіяй, альбо нешта не да канца выпрацаванае, што зьвязана ў мяне зь Нямеччынай”. Дадамо, што статус Быкава і ягонай жонкі ў Чэхіі – гэта не палітычны прытулак. Яны застаюцца грамадзянамі Беларусі і плянуюць наведваць Радзіму."
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; 13:01, 13/12/2002
News Article: Vasil Bykaŭ Won't Return to Belarus
"In a phone conversation with the BelaPAN correspondent, Karlos Sherman expressed hope that all problems of the continued stay of Vasil Bykaŭ in Germany would be successfully solved. As stated by him, the leadership of the PEN-Center has not even considered the return of the writer to Belarus. 'He feels better there, and he can write peacefully there. On the other hand, Vasil Bykaŭ is completely informed about events in Belarus, as he gets Belarusian newspapers, listens to the radio, and reads news on the Internet', -- Karlos Sherman said."
Let us remind the readers that Vasil Bykaŭ left Belarus aat the end of 1997."
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; February 14, 2002
News Article: Writers of Belarus Stand for Vasil Bykaŭ
" 'The country hasn't seen such outrageous and groundless violence since the 1930's, when hundreds of Belarusian writers, scholars, and politicians were exterminated. At present, the Belarusian television, having borrowed Stalin's and Beria's methods, libels the war veteran Vasil Bykaŭ as a 'literature turncoat'. Belarusian authorities, whose silent approval helps discrediting the name of Vasil Bykaŭ, have neither moral nor constitutional right to produce an impression as if the destiny of the national writer is no state business,' - reads the document."
"The text was signed by numerous outstanding writers and poets - Rygor Borodylin, Gennady Buravkin, Karlos Sherman, and others."
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; April 10, 2001
News Article: Popular Belarusian Novelist Vasil Bykov at Home in Frankfort
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; updated on March 05, 2001
Note: Also see German language article at: "Der verfolgte weißrussische Schriftsteller Vasil Bykov findet in Frankfurt Zuflucht" (February 13, 2001)
" 'The opposition is always in the minority, especially in Belarus,' Mr. Bykaŭ said. 'They can change nothing, they can only initiate changes. The rest is up to the people. It is both the strength and weakness of the opposition, as well as of the people.' "
"Mr. Bykaŭ said his tranquil life in Germany was getting him closer to his 'ultimate goal - freedom and independence.' 'The question is whether one can feel free and independent as an individual while society on the whole lacks freedom and independence,' he wondered."
"Mr. Bykaŭ stressed that he had always considered Belarus his home. 'Unfortunately, my home is not a hospitable one. I guess it is destined to be that way,' he added."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 19; Friday, January 5, 2001; 1:05 p.m.
"Also Mr. Bykaŭ (Bykov) wished that readers of our paper would read more independent papers, and listen to independent radio stations because one cannot become more intelligent in this country without doing that. World-famous Belarusian writer Vasil Bykov gave his evaluation to the elections in Belarus in a telephone talk with our correspondent. 'In such conditions one cannot talk of any elections. Only ill-minded people can take seriously such an event, like these Belarusian Parliamentary elections, since all their system is made that way so that people do not have a choice; so that only the regime supporters would be elected to the Parliament.' "
Source: BDG (Белорусской деловой газете), [16-10-2000,13:47]
"'The writer has got tired of hearing stupid things about himself,' Karlos Sherman, vice president of the Belarusian Pen-Center, said while commenting on Mr. Bykov's departure for Germany, where the writer reportedly plans to stay for at least one year. Mr. Bykov left Belarus on February 3 [2000] at the invitation of the German Pen-Center."
"Mr. Bykov lived and worked in Finland in the past two years. Mr. Sherman said that he did not know how long the writer would stay in Germany."
. . . .
"According to Ms. Ipatova, for reasons beyond the writer's control, his comments on language, cultural, and other non-political matters and events have been wrongly interpreted as politically motivated. However, said Ms. Ipatova, every person has the right to form and voice an opinion about one matter or another."
"Ms. Ipatova expressed concern about a 'catastrophic decline of culture and relations between people in our society'. In her opinion, the intelligentsia must make a maximum effort to teach civilized relations and tolerance to society and to the government."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 47; Thursday, February 10, 2000; 7:10 p.m.
News Article: Vasil Bykaŭ (Bykov) to Live in Germany for at Least One Year
"Mr. Bykaŭ lived and worked in Finland for the last two years. Earlier, the Russian newspaper Izvestiya reported that Belarusian State Television and other state media selected Mr. Bykaŭ, a critic of the current Belarusian regime, as a target of a harassment campaign." . . . .
Source: BelaPAN, No.25; Sunday, February 6, 2000; 3:40 p.m.
News Article: Is Vasil' Bykaŭ being harassed in Minsk?
3. Is Vasil' Bykov being harassed in Minsk?"
"On 28 January 2000, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, wrote to Ural Latypov, Belarus Foreign Minister, raising his concern with the alleged campaign of harassment initiated against the famous Belarus writer, Vasil' Bykov, who had recently returned to Minsk. Duve informed the Minister that he learned from the Moscow daily Izvestia of this campaign. Duve asked Minister Latypov a number of questions:"
"Duve assumed that Belarus government officials remembered that it was because of Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of openness, among other things, that Belarus became a member of the OSCE."
"Duve asked Minister Latypov to look into this case and, hopefully, counter the allegations made by Bykov in his interview with Izvestia on 26 January 2000, where Bykov noted that 'Today in Belarus we have favourable conditions for the return of the ideology that dominated during the Soviet times.' "
"Note: Vasil' Bykov is one of the best-known authors in Belarus. Born in 1924, he started writing in 1960, publishing classics such as The Alps Ballad, The Dead Feel No Pain, and Sotnikov. A highly respected writer during the Soviet times, though often criticized, he was awarded the Soviet Union's top literary prizes and made a Hero of Socialist Labour. In 1980, he was named the Peoples Writer of Belorussia. Last year, Bykov received Russia's top independent literary prize, Triumph."
Source: Charter 97, NEWS; updated on 03.02.2000 at 17.30
News Article: Writer Vasil Bykov Criticizes the Belarusian Authorities
"Belarus, 'as a member state and founder of the United Nations, has the right to sovereign existence, but what Lukashenko and his regime do at present is aimed at the complete elimination of the sovereignty,' Mr. Bykov said."
"The writer believes that the Belarusian regime has been destroying national culture, literature and the Belarusian language under the cover of integration with Russia. He said that Belarusian culture is controlled by 'Soviet colonels with a communist mentality'."
"However, Mr. Bykov said that integration between Belarus and Russia has not actually begun. 'Belarus and Russia are absolutely different worlds, Belarus has an entirely socialist economy,' the writer said."
"Asked why the Belarusian people are silent about the authorities' abuses, Mr. Bykov cited the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, 'People are a clean sheet of paper on which one can write any hieroglyph'."
"The writer said that Mr. Lukashenko is popular among common people because he is able to take a furious effort to obtain everything the country needs from Russia."
"Mr. Bykov has returned to Minsk after staying in Finland for two years. He said that he would leave Belarus if he had the opportunity to lead an 'acceptable and tolerable' life somewhere else. 'I cannot write in Minsk. I have a cold apartment and with my ailing lungs I will turn up my toes very soon,' Mr. Bykov said."
"Commenting on the Belarusian authorities' indifference to his life and achievements, Mr. Bykov said, 'there is a group of writers who pay lip service to Lukashenko and the regime. This is enough for him and he does not care about anything else'. Mr. Bykov gave the interview shortly after receiving Russia's Triumph prize for his literary achievements."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 54; Monday, January 17, 2000; 7:30 p.m.
News Article: Famous Belarusian Novelist Vasil Bykov Called Combat Actions in Chechnya "Medieval."
He made these comments on January 9, [2000] during the ceremony where he was awarded a Russian art prize 'Triumph'.
The award ceremony was held solemnly in attendance of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, and Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The contest director Zoya Boguslavskaya noted that the award reflects the elements of democracy, high morals, and responsibility -- the features that will be defining the arts in the new century.
Commenting the ceremony itself, the writer noted: "Fortunately, Russia hasn't lost all of its democratic achievements of the perestroika period. This gives certain hope. But the perspectives are quite bleak anyway, as shown by the war campaign in Chechnya. The essence of Russian democracy is still too different from the internationally recognized standards. So, I don't believe in any positive changes in the near future."
Compiled from: Belarusian Association of Journalists, News, 10 January 2000, and Charter 97, NEWS; updated on 10.01.2000 at 17.40
News Article: Vasil Bykov Calls the Belarusian-Russian Treaty "the Crime of the Century"
"According to Mr. Bykov, the treaty means genocide for the Belarusian nation and the end of its history. 'Belarusians failed to use their historic chance in the 20th century' - he concluded."
Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists News Bulletin, 9 December 1999
News Article: Russian Literary Prize Awarded to Vasil Bykov of Belarus
"According to prize coordinator Irina Boguslavskaya, Triumph is more than just a literary award. 'If a writer is being mistreated, we are there,' said Ms. Boguslavskaya."
"For more than a year now Mr. Bykov has been staying in Helsinki at the invitation of the Finnish PEN Center. The apartment that he occupies was reportedly allotted to the Pen Center by the Helsinki government on condition that it is made available to Belarusian writers until Aleksandr Lukashenko's rule comes to an end in Belarus."
Sources: BelaPAN, No. 38; Thursday, December 9, 1999; 5:40 p.m. and Charter 97
News Article: Writer Vasil' Bykaŭ Visits Mensk
"According to her, the writer just wants to see his family, friends, and colleagues and to attend to some private matters."
"Mr. Bykov plans to stay in Minsk 8 to 10 days. He will then return to Finland."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 65; Friday, July 16, 1999; 9:40 p.m.
News Article: Belarusian Intellectuals Mark Vasil Bykov's Birthday
"Mr. Zakonnikov reminded those present that the famous Belarusian writer was spending a second year in Finland, where he had been invited by the Finnish PEN-center. He expressed assurance that Mr. Bykov will return to Belarus sooner of later. Polymya is expected to publish new stories by Bykov in its 5th edition, Mr. Zakonnikov said."
" 'All of us are to blame for the fact that Bykov is not with us because we let uneducated people lacking culture to treat our sacred people in such a way,' said poet Gennady Buravkin. 'Those who can tear a national flag to pieces, for whom Belarus' territory is not enough, who cannot express themselves in the mother tongue do not need Bykov's birthday as they did not need Yanka Bryl's birthday,' Mr. Buravkin said."
" 'Belarus has to wait for a long time for a genius like Bykov, who is an absolutely national phenomenon. The epoch we live in has the full right to be called the epoch of Bykov and the Belarusians the nation of Skaryna, Kalinovsky, and Bykov,' said Mikhail Tychina, a literary critic who had studied Bykov's works. Mr. Tychina stressed that no one in Belarus has as much inner freedom as Bykov. 'As long as most of the nation represented by a fooled people accustomed to hard drinking, destroyed and crippled by the regime, do not respect spiritual values, the nation will not be able to consolidate and turn into a monolith,' Mr. Tychina said."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 105; Thursday, June 24, 1999; 3:50 p.m.
News Article: Belarusian Language Society Sends Best Wishes to Vasil Bykov on His Birthday
" 'Your courageous civil position have assured millions of compatriots of a happy future and a victory of the good, justice, and wisdom,' says the message."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 83; Friday, June 18, 1999; 7:50 p.m.
News Article: Belarusian Language Society Sends a Letter of Greetings to Writer Bykov
"According to the BLS, the latest developments in Belarus brought into the Society more people worried about the future of the country. With particular satisfaction, the authors of the letter note a keen interest in the BLS on the part of young patriots."
"'Your creative work helps today's Belarusians get rid of illusions about Slavic `brotherhood' and the perpetual guardianship of the neighbor, and awakes the hearts of the outsiders,' reads the letter."
"The BLS wishes Mr. Bykov good health, inspiration, and new creative successes, and expresses hope that the writer will celebrate the beginning of the new century in his homeland together with his nation."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 22; Thursday, May 6, 1999 6:00 p.m.
News Article: Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (LDPB) to Pay Tribute to Vasil Bykov
"As LDPB leader Sergei Gaidukevich told BelaPAN, the campaign is a tribute to the great Belarusian writer. He pointed out that every young Liberal Democrat should be familiar with their famous fellow countryman's works."
"The BLDYU has about 3,000 members and is one of the largest youth organizations in Belarus, according to Mr. Gaidukevich."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 90; Monday, June 21, 1999; 5:50 p.m.
"The order was handed to Mr Bykov by Valery Loshchinin, Russia's ambassador to Belarus, at the Russian Embassy in Minsk on November 13 [1997]. The ceremony was also attended by Belarusian Foreign Minister Ivan Antonovich, Belarusian Minister of Culture Aleksandr Sosnovsky, and representatives of some Belarusian public organizations."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 33; Friday, November 14, 1997; 2:20 p.m.
"The Committee explained its decision by lack of financial means and small number of orders collected. According to the author of the book, these are no more than formal reasons"
"Together with The Wall by Bykov, struck out was a collection of Larisa Geniush's works and Ten Centuries of Belarusian History, a popular scientific book by Vladimir Orlov and Guennady Saganovich."
Source: PEN - Belarus Web site, January, 1997
[Webmaster's Note, April, 2001: Both The Wall (Сьцяна, 1998 -- but only 1000 copies were printed!) and the collection of Larisa Geniush's works (Выбраныя Вершы, 1997 -- but only 500 copies were printed!) eventually found other publishers. Ten Centuries of Belarusian History (in Belarusian) was also published eventually in 1997 in a series of articles by the newspaper, Свабода, and later in book form in 2000, and can also be viewed on the Web: Дзесяць Вякоў Беларускай Гісторыі (on the Belaruskaja Palichka Web site).]
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