Minsk 13:18

Vasil Bykaŭ’s widow dies aged 99

(Naša Niva)

January 22, Pozirk. Iryna Bykaŭ, widow of prominent Belarusian writer Vasil Bykaŭ, died on January 21 aged 99, politician Siarhiej Navumčyk said.

Last month, she was hospitalized in Minsk with a heart attack and a broken hip.

Opposition politician Paviel Łatuška expressed his condolences on her passing on Telegram. 

“I had the great honor of meeting her personally while serving as minister of culture,” he said. “I discussed with her the preservation of the archive and personal belongings of the Belarusian writer. With the support of the National Library of Belarus staff, we were at least able to catalogue all the materials. It was also important that we managed to open a small but state-run museum dedicated to Vasil Bykaŭ in Ždanovičy.”

Writer Vasil Bykaŭ, WW2 veteran, critic of Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime and one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front in 1988, lived in exile from 1998. His funeral in Minsk in 2003 turned into a large opposition demonstration.

Hrodna government refuses to honor prominent writer with plaque

December 2, Pozirk. The Hrodna City Executive Committee has rejected citizens' petition to commemorate writer Vasil Bykaŭ with a plaque, Hrodna.Life reported. The petition suggested attaching the plaque to the house on Vialikaja Trajeckaja Street where the novelist lived for …
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