Poet Adam Mitzkevich (Adam Mickiewicz; 1798-1855)

Note: Postage stamp is based on a painting by V. Van'kovich (1823), in Vilnius, Lithuania. Painting has Sp. Mickiewicz facing to the right, instead of the left.

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Is he Polish? Is he Belarusian? Refer to forums on the Internet, such as the Belarus discussion (e-mail) list or to the usenet newsgroups such as soc.culture.belarus and soc.culture.polish for "definitive answers" on this and other topics!

• A link to two of his poems at a site in Norway--in Polish!--Hmmm. . . .

• Musée Adam Mickiewicz     in Paris, France

• Entry for Adam Mickiewicz     Song Texts (on recmusic.org) in English, Polish, Russian, & German. Only one song is in English (as of 10/99) as well as Cyrillic (KOI-8)--in Russian! Hmmm. . . .

• His most famous poem, Pan Tadeusz, begins "Oh, Litva. . . ." (Go to the Litvania Web site for further information about what "Litva" was and is. Hint: It is neither a synonym for Poland nor Lithuania.)

Excerpts from Belarus: At a Crossroads in History

Note: In 1812 (the "commonwealth" referred to in the following is the Commonwealth of Poland):

"Groups of patriotic activists sprang up at Vilnia University. Their views were formed under the influence of Joachim Lelewel, a noted Polish historian and professor at the same university. The best known of these groups was the society of Philomaths, whose basic concerns were social and political reforms as well as restitution of the Commonwealth's independence. Among the Philomaths was Adam Mickiewicz, the foremost Polish poet, born in Navahradak, and his friend from the same area, Adam Cachot (Czeczot), also a poet and a noted Bearusan folklorist."   pages 49 & 50

"In the same year [1843], a political refugee in Paris, Adam Mickiewicz, lecturing on Slavic literatures, expressed this appreciation of the Belarusan language with which he was intimately familiar: 'Belarusan which is also called Russinian or Lithuanian . . . is spoken by about ten million people. This is the richest and purest speech of ancient origin and marvelously developed. In the period of Lithuania's independence great princes used it in their diplomatic correspondence.' "   page 53

"[Vincent] Dunin-Marcinkievic^ [1807-1884, the first major Belarusian poet and playwright of the 19th century] undertook the ambitious task of translating into Belarusan the chef d'oeuvre of Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz (1859). In translating this epic poem, which gives panoramic descriptions of the gentry life in Mickiewicz's native Navahradak region, Dunin-Marcinkievich demonstrated not only his own literary skills but also the capacity of Belarusan as a literary medium. It was of crucial importance that the fledgling Belarusan movement prove itself in the arena of language, the foundation of all national causes in Central and Eastern Europe. However, publication of Dunin-Marcinkievich's translation was stopped by a Russian censor in the midst of printing in 1859. The decision of the Main Office of Censorship was 'not to allow use of the Polish alphabet in printing works in Belarusan dialect.' But Dunin-Marcinkievich explained in his letter to the censor, 'In our provinces, out of a hundred peasants perhaps ten could be found who can read Polish well, whilst, on the contrary, out of one thousand hardly one can be found who knows Russian.' "   pages 54 & 55

In a section of Zaprudnik's book that begins, "There is an ironic symmetry in the methods used by the Russian and Polish imperialisms (both of which claimed a part or the whole of Belarus) to combat Belarusan nationalism. . . ."

". . .As we know now, Bolshevik brutality occurred on a genocidal scale. The contrast between the Polish and Russian methods of suppression of political dissent is obvious. Suffering under a harsh regime in Polish prisons, Branislau Tarashkievich had 'a minimum of the rights that were due to a political prisoner;' he received certain books and was even able to make a translation of the long poem by Adam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz, into Belarusan. Nothing of the sort was possible for Tarashkievich's counterparts in Soviet prisons."   pages 86 & 87

Source: Belarus: At a Crossroads in History, by Jan Zaprudnik (1993)

Article: 200th Anniversary of Poet Adam Mickiewicz's Birth to be Celebrated in 1998

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed an edict titled, "On the Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Poet Adam Mickiewicz's Birthday."

Under the edict, the cabinet is to establish an organizing committee and work out a plan of festivities for 1997 and 1998.

For this purpose, the Brest and Hrodna Regional Executive Committees are to receive 5 and 30 billion rubles, respectively, from the President's Reserve Fund.

A museum is to open in the village of Zaosye near Baranovichi, where Mickiewicz was born.

Source: BelaPAN, No. 33, Friday, November 14, 1997, 2:20 p.m.

Article: Adam Mickiewicz Museum to Open in the Baranovichi District

The ceremony of opening an Adam Mickiewicz museum is to take place at Zaosye in the Baranovichi district in the Brest region, where the famous Belarusian-Polish poet lived.

The ceremony is expected to be attended by government officials, diplomats, historians, writers and poets from Belarus, Poland and Lithuania. Invited to the ceremony have been the director of the Adam Mickiewicz Museum in Warsaw, the director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and experts in Mickiewicz's works. Vladimir Zalomai, head of the Brest regional administration, is to address the participants.

The opening of the museum is one in a series of events organized in Belarus and Poland to mark the poet's 200th birthday.

Source: BelaPAN, No. 25; Tuesday; September 8, 1998; 2:00 p.m.

Article: Library Named After Poet Mickiewicz to Open in Mensk

The ceremonial opening of a public library named after Adam Mickiewicz, a great Polish poet of Belarusian origin, is to be held at Minsk's Saint Simon and Saint Helena Church on the evening of September 9.

This is to be the final event of an international conference titled, "Adam Mickiewicz and National Cultures," which is being held in Minsk as part of the festivities on Mickiewicz's 200th birthday. Books for the library, about 6,000 volumes, were donated to Minsk by the administration of the Polish city of Bialystok on January 28, 1998. The library will be open to all comers and is expected to become popular with students.

The opening ceremony is to be attended by members of the Council of the Republic (upper chamber of the Belarusian National Assembly), representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Belarusian Writers Association and the Francisak Skaryna National Scientific and Educational Center and delegates from Bialystok's City Council.

Source: BelaPAN, No. 28; Tuesday, September 8, 1998; 6:20 p.m.

Article: UNESCO Has Proclaimed 1998 the Year of Adam Mickiewicz

In an article by Alina Shabeko entitled, "Tourism exhibition held in Mensk," page 6. "UNESCO has proclaimed 1998 the year of Adam Mitskevich, Polish and Belarusian poet, which could increase the number of foreigners who wish to visit Belarus. This could also become a challenge for the Belarusian tourist companies."

Source: Minsk News, No. 24 (100), December 22, 1997, page 6

Article: Adam Mickiewicz Days Underway in Hrodna (January 21-24, 1998)

"Adam Mickiewicz Days began in Hrodna on January 21 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of this great Belarusian-Polish poet's birthday."

"Well-known Belarusian writers and poets, namely Vasil Bykov, Rygor Borodulin, Gennady Buravkin, Vladimir Orlov, Ales Ryazanov and others, arrived in the city to take part in the festivities. They will read Mickiewicz's works to public gatherings and visit a number of educational institutions. The writers attended a mass meeting held at the Palace of Culture of Chemical Industry Workers on January 21 on the initiative of the Belarusian Language Society. On January 23, they are expected to meet with students and lecturers at the Hrodna State University. The Adam Mickiewicz Days will last until January 24."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 71; Thursday, January 22, 1998; 4:30 p.m.

Article: International Conference Devoted to Adam Mickiewicz's Birthday in Brest (March 11 & 12, 1998)

"A two-day international conference devoted to the 200th birthday of Belarusian poet Adam Mickiewicz is to come to an end in Brest on March 12. Historians, ethnographers, critics, and philologists from Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic gathered in the city on the River Bug to pay tribute to the poet and discuss all aspects of his creative heritage in the context of the Polish and Belarusian culture. They discussed Mickiewicz's teaching experience, his philosophical views, and his works."

"Among the participants are Vladimir Gnilomedov, acting director of the Yanka Kupala Literature Institute; Doctor of Philology Adam Maldis, director of the Skaryna National Scientific and Education Centre; Leslaw Szczerba, head of the Higher Agricultural Academy based in the Polish town of Siedlce; and other scholars. The opening ceremony was attended by the Polish consul and Russian vice consul in Brest."

Source: BelaPAN, No. 39; Thursday, March 12, 1998; 4:30 p.m.

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