THE FORMULA OF OPENNESS: THE „TERMAPILY” JOURNAL AND MODERN BELARUSIAN LITERARY PROCESS
Zoya Mel’nikava
Yan Chykvin, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, has proclaimed this formula five years ago in his address to the readers of the very first issue of the „Termapily” (Thermopylae; a narrow pass of east-central Greece; became known after Persian defeat of the Spartans 480 B.C. – BIR). It is quite obvious today that foundation of the Belarusian journal in Poland created the new possibilities not only for the members of the „Belaya Vezha” (abbr. „Belavezha”; A White Tower) Literary Association; that was the primary initial concern of the Editor-in-Chief of the journal and his associates when they came up with the decision to found a serious periodical edition „for publishing the „longer” prose genres, essays, theatrical plays, articles on literary criticism and reviews” („Termapily”, # 1, P. 3).
Within the recent five years of its existence the „Termapily” journal turned out to be the environment which united those people who were sincerely concerned about the destiny of high Belarusian literary style and Belarusian culture in a broad sense of this word. One could read on its pages the new works by the writers, literary critics, and specialists in the field of literature and culture studies, historians and even musicians. It should be stressed that the journal was a good opportunity to publish the latest materials not only for the authors of the Polish origin. Some fifty per cent of the contents of each issue of the journal comprise very interesting, rigorous, thoughtfully selected and carefully processed materials by the authors who currently reside outside of Poland. Vast geography of the journal, being initially a good sign of the publication, has later on become its constant tradition. Under the covers of the „Termapily” we can find the names of the authors from Poland, Belarus, Dresden, London, Glen Kova and other close and remote areas of Europe; they were not only the scholars from Minsk who could publish their works in the journal, but also their colleagues from Harodnia, Berastse and Homel’. Six issues of the „Termapily” (the first one appeared in 1998) turned out to be an edition which was full of deeply oriented concepts, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it was a pretty universal publication comprising a broad spectrum of materials on current issues of literary criticism, artistic values as well as Belarusian studies.
This is of major importance today that it is not in Belarus, but mainly here, in Belastok, on the „Termapily” pages, where we can read the most recently created works by Yanka Bryl’, Nina Matsiash, Anatol’ Kudravets, Ales’ Petrashkevich, Vasil’ Zuionak, Anatol’ Viartsinski. It is a well-known fact that after the „famous” dissolution of the editorial stuff of the „Polymia”, the „Nioman” and the „Malados’ts’” journals as well as the „Litaratura I Mastatstva” weekly in 2002 in the Republic of Belarus and creation of the ideologically-stuffed „Litaratura I Mastatstva” Holding Group, the majority of the authors, including the above mentioned ones, refused to publish their works in the Belarusian periodicals. They recalled their materials from the editorial offices. That was the way how Belarusian writers protested against the government-controlled administration of such an exquisite and delicate matter as literature and fine arts. After all, it is the prerogative of each individual author on where to publish his/her creative works.
For many literary workers as well as for regular experienced and motivated readers the „Termapily” is getting more and more significant mainly nowadays when the existing regime encroaches upon the independent mass-media. Unfortunately, they can not get rid of the Herastrate-inspired belief which is based on the assumption that literature should be properly guided by the state in order to proclaim something, to praise somebody, and, of course, to serve the interests of the domineering ideology. Vasil’ Bykau once made a wonderful conclusion on this issue. In his opinion, whenever the authorities of Belarus fail to achieve any slightest success in economy, industry and agriculture, they always come back to their favorite square one, i.e. they begin to raise the ideological and propaganda-related issues. We eyewitness similar process in Belarus nowadays as well.
In my opinion, significance of the „Termapily” journal also deals with the broader sense of recent creative works by the „Belavezha” Association members. I would like to give special emphasis to the two most significant aspects of them.
First of all, broad linguistic circles of Belarus began to seriously consider the Belarusian literature of the Belastochchyna (the Belastok province) as an integral part of the overall Belarusian literary context and process from both synchronic and diachronic points of view. In 2002 they published in Minsk the book named „Belarusian writers of Poland of the second half of the 20th century” which was compiled by Yan Chykvin and a foreword to the book was written by Uladzimir Konan. Publication of such a book contributed immensely to better perception of creative work of the writers of Poland as an integral component and important element of the history of development of the Belarusian literature of the 20th century and the overall modern literary process. It is a well-known fact that within the previous several decades the majority of scholars, who studied the Belarusian literature, tended to ignore creative works by their compatriots residing in Poland. We should definitely thank Uladzimir Hnilamiodau, Uladzimir Kalesnik, Uladzimir Konan, Barys Sachanka and some other writers from Belarus for their previous earlier publications covering various aspects of literary works of their colleagues abroad. Current situation is developing in a much better way. My associates from Brest and I, in particular, apply all our efforts to educate new young generations of future literary workers better and to make them learn more and more about creative work of the Belarusian writers from Poland. We help them better understand and percept creative and esthetical gains of the „Belavezha” writers. This is the reason why we began to deliver a special course in „Literature of the Belarusian Writers Abroad” at the School of Linguistics at the Brest University. Special attention within this course of training is paid to creative work of the writers from Poland. Students of the University, who study Belarusian, Polish as well as Belarusian and Polish Literature, will be offered next year a specialized course of studies in „Belarusian Literature of Poland and Creative Works of the „Belavezha” Association Members”.
Serious professional evaluation of place of this literature, artistic traditions and esthetic innovation of the „Belavezha” writers, as well as significance of their creative works from the point of view of their contribution to the enrichment of the Belarusian literature as a whole, present a complex scientific problem that requires integrated and systemic consideration and solution. To my mind, much has been already achieved in this respect by the Editor-in-Chief of the „Termapily” journal who basically formulated that kind of a problem, i.e. six issues of the journal comprise the number of publications which deal with scientific and esthetical evaluation of creative work of the „Belavezha” authors. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the „Belavezha” Association ( June 20-21, 1998; Belastok), also contributed very much to this issue. They comprise articles by Liudmila Rubleuskaya (The Belarusian Myth as an Image of the Nation in the Belastok Poetry of 1980s Through 1990s), Halina Tychka (Sakrat Yanovich Within the Context of the Belarusian Tradition), reasoning by Volha Shynkarenka (Listening to the Whisperings of the Centuries) on the historical and mythological prose works by Mikola Haiduk, materials by Liudmila Zaremba (Interaction of Creative Individualities: Yan Chykvin vs. Uladzimir Haiduk), Anatol’ Ramanchuk (Man, Space, Time in the book „The First and the Last World” by Yan Chykvin), Tereza Zaneuskaya (The Motive of Fire in Poetry of the „Belavezha” Literary Association Members), Irena Rodzevich (The „Belavezha” Writers and Traditions of Frantsishak Bahushevich), Uladzimir Stohel’ (The „Belavezha” Writers and Traditions of Yanka Kupala) as well as the article by Albina Siamionava (The Way Consciousness Exists: Poetry of the „Belavezha” Poets as an Integral Part of the Belarusian Literature within the Context of Western Culture), in which the scholar evaluates creative work of Ales’ Barski, Viktar Shved, Uladzimir Haiduk, Mihas’ Shahovich, Yan Chykvin, Nadzeya Artymovich, Mira Luksha and others. We should also remember the materials by Liudmila Zaremba (On Lyrics by Uladzimir Haiduk; Day and Night: Two Wings of the Grand Duke…) and by Volha Shynkarenka (The Song of the Ripe Sun about the artistic system of the „Bright Moment” by Yan Chykvin) which have been published in 1997 in the 4th issue of the „Krynitsa” (A Spring) Journal. In issues # 3- 6 of the journal they also published the articles by Anatol’ Ramanchuk (Lyrical Pulse of the Poet. Meditations on Creative Work by Ales’ Barski; Several Thoughts of Poetry by Mihas’ Shahovich; Tameless Aspiration of Soul), by Mikola Mishchanchuk who analyzes the creative study „Who will pay the debt?” by Yan Chykvin and many others. This is the incomplete list of works by the authors and the editorial stuff of the „Termapily” journal dealing with comprehensive analysis of creative works of the „Belavezha” writers and poets aimed to evaluate their actual contribution to the overall Belarusian literary process.
It is worth mentioning, that mainly the younger and ideologically independent generation of scholars from Belarus is deeply involved in promotion of scientific evaluation of contribution to the history of Belarusian literature, made by the writers from Poland. And it is not by chance, that they do it. It goes without saying, that the new generation of literary critics and experts got attracted primarily by philosophy and esthetics, creative selfhood, spiritual and moral depth of the literary gains of their compatriots from Poland. Even the above specified publications speak in favor of the fact that these gains are highly appreciated by the Belarusian readers.
My personal evaluation of the current status of the Belarusian literary criticism proves the idea that the new and rather perspective tendency has recently developed in it, i.e. all the scientific issues are considered from the point of view of their spread allover the Belarusian national literary environment as well as its branches in Poland and other foreign countries. The study of the autobiographical prose works, conducted by Veranika Stral’tsova (issue # 3), can serve as a vivid example of my conclusion, i.e. along with the autobiographical materials by Ales’ Adamovich, Yanka Bryl’, Uladzimir Kalesnik, Ivan Navumenka, Yan Skryhan and some other Belarusian native writers, the author evaluates works of similar genre by Ales’ Barski (i.e. his book „From what I saw and experienced”, Minsk, 1992), Heorhiy Valkavytski (i.e. his book „Whirlpool. Editor’s Essays”. Belastok, 1990), Masei Siadniou (i.e. „Masei’s Book”, Minsk, 1994).
The fundamental book by Yan Chykvin, named „The Distant and Close Ones” (Belastok, 1997), is full of concern about historical objectivity, systemic and integral comprehension of the gains of the Belarusian artistic word. According to Volha Shynkarenka, it goes without saying, that articles by Anatol’ Ramanchuk (Keep burning, my candle) and Ales’ Pashkevich (The Ways Back: Prose Works of the Belarusian Emigrant Authors of the 20th Century; BLA, Belastok, 2001) continue realization of the same task and on the same high scientific level of multiple views and fundamental evaluations.
We can obviously conclude, that, step by step, literature of the Belastochchyna is becoming a more vivid and integral part of the overall Belarusian literary context. It is primarily due to the efforts, applied by the „Termapily” Editor-in-Chief, who succeeded to have even united the number of highly-motivated writers. This particular exchange of thoughts and conclusions on creative work of the „Belavezha” writers will also become one of the next stages in achievement of this goal. All the above specified facts speak in favor of the idea that creative works by the writers of the Belastochchyna serve as a self-valuable and esthetically diverse phenomenon, which the history of the Belarusian literature and its current course of development can hardly exist without.
There is one more issue, which I would like to draw your attention to while speaking about the significance of the „Termapily” journal. I do believe, that it won’t be unconvincing for me to state, that both the „„Belavezha”” Association and the „Termapily” journal help us, native Belarusians, to remain Belarusians in Belarus. It is especially felt within the recent years when, using Mihas’ Tychyna’s words, „Belarusian consciousness is vanishing at an apocalyptic pace”. Destructive effect of the de-Belarusization process is depicted in the works published in the journal by Anatol’ Viartsinski and Sakrat Yanovich, Yanka Bryl’ and Yan Chykvin, Vasil’ Zuionak and Nadzeya Artymovich, Ales’ Barski and Mira Luksha, Ales’ Petrashkevich and Halina Tvaranovich, Ales’ Pashkevich and Liudmila Rubleuskaya, Mihas’ Tychyna and Mikola Mishchanchuk, Radzim Haretski and Yanka Zhamoitsin, Heorhi Valkavytski and Ala Petrushkevich. Nowadays it is next to impossible to publish any material containing protest against mass assimilation of Belarusians both within the mother country and abroad. To be more precise, such Belarusian state-controlled periodicals comprise the „Nioman” and the „Polymia” journals as well as the „LIM” newspaper. In contrast to them, the „Termapily” journal provides its authors with such an opportunity. By the way, the „Belavezha” Association members do not wait for Belarus to become Belarusian and to take care of its national minorities in the world.
Again, that was mainly thanks to the „Termapily” journal and publications by Yan Chykvin ( A Flat Played by Siadniou), Halina Tvaranovich (Within the Flame of the Poet’s Spirit), Alena Anisheuskaya (Holding a Torch in His Hand) the Belarusians could say good-bye to Masei Siadniou in a painful and reserved way. They could finally experience the belated (very often we do many things too late) feeling of aching pity and sorrow as well as realization of the fact that not long ago such a wonderful and tender son of Belarus lived among them. His creative work also joined the literary process too late and not for a long time. In early 1990s some works and bits of information by and about Masei Siadniou, Natallia Arsenneva, Larysa Heniyush, and Andrei Mriya were honorably included into the school curriculum of Belarusian literature in Belarus. However, pretty soon the bureaucrats in the field of education found the above personalities to be rather „suspicious” and for an indefinite period of time their names were crossed out of the school textbooks again.
The „Termapily” of 2000 also witnessed successful publications of a satirical comedy named „International in a Belarusian Way” by Ales’ Petrashkevich, extracts from the documentary novel by Ales’ Pashkevich called „The Square of Will”, a story of „A Father” by Anatol’ Kudravets, prose works by Sakrat Yanovich, Yanka Bryl’, novels by Yanka Yuhnavets (It) and Leh Puhir (Feast in the Eighth Heaven, or the Lenskya Shliahta (dialogs that took place while having a drink)). As a literary and artistic phenomenon the journal became well known primarily for poetical works published in it. Through the whole five-year period of existence of the periodical its poetry was full of intellectual, philosophical, highly esthetical as well as social and publicistic motives. Poets Masei Siadniou, Yan Chykvin, Uladzimir Haiduk, Anatol’ Viartsinski, Vasil’ Zuionak and Halina Tvaranovich as well as poets and translators (Nina Matsiash and Liudka Sil’nova) contributed very much to that image.
Sections of the journal dealing with literary criticism, reviews are also full of interesting fundamental materials. Publications by Arnold McMillin on poetry of Uladzimir Karatkevich and creative work of Mihas’ Stral’tsou, reasoning of Yan Chykvin about the book „Belarusian Literature within the Diaspora” are full of accurate observations, deep and original generalization. Also, Volha Shynkarenka published her impressions about the book „Ways Back” by Ales’ Pashkevich, Nadzeya Panasiuk wrote about creative work of Mihas’ Shved which he dedicated to little children, Yanka Zhamoitsin analyzed the book by Halina Tvaranovich „The Edge of the Millennium” and Danuta Springman evaluated literary heritage of Ales’ Adamovich.
On behalf of the Berastseishchyna (the Brest province) scientists who work in the field of literary criticism, I have an honor and pleasure to thank the Editor-in-Chief of the „Termapily” journal for a very pleasant and fruitful cooperation with us. We highly appreciate the possibility to have published the materials written by Mikola Mishchanchuk, Uladzimir Lebiadzieu and Henadz’ Pranevich as well as very important works by Uladzimir Kalesnik,, who considers himself to a significant degree to be a pupil of the Polish classical literature and esthetics, and who is a good friend of numerous Polish writers (and especially the members of the „Belavezha” Association).
We do hope that the results of the recent research of the Belarusian literary critics and researchers are of interest for many men of letters in Poland and other foreign countries. Their publications enable the readers in various countries to form a better impression about the modern Belarusian literature as well as current status of literary criticism.
Undoubtedly, the „Termapily” is of major importance. It is known to be an elite, intellectual as well as artistic and literary journal, which notably influences upon the rest of the literary and artistic periodicals in Belarus as well. The young publishers of the „Dzeiaslou” („The Verb”) journal in Minsk seem to have used the „Termapily” traditions as a model for their current and future development.
Cooperation between the „Belavezha” writers and their colleagues in Belarus is, of course, very perspective. The Belarusian-Polish borderline serves as an original, historic, ethnic and cultural region. That definitely effected specific nature of literature in it as well as influenced upon various levels and fields relating to creation of specific images, styles, ideology, new topics, themes and genres. Thanks to high initiative and hard efforts applied by Yan Chykvin, which we highly appreciate, we need to definitely go ahead with such kind of cooperation. It can be organized either in the form of joined research on the edge-cutting issues of the literary Polish-Belarusian borderline or fundamental studies of works by the writers of the „Belavezha” Association in within a broad Belarusian literary context.
I sincerely wish this cooperation was developing on a larger and more sophisticated scale. This can be quite possible in case of consistent preservation and promotion of the formula of openness, proclaimed by the honorable Editor-in-Chief.
Translated by Ivan Burlyka
Nadzeya Artymovich
( )
***
To Bel’sk
My tiny hometown
Which is as small
As a short drop of rain
Which spreads across
And ceases to exist
When it drops down the earth.
My small hometown
Which is as tiny
As a drop of rain
But
It will never spread across
And the tempest will destroy it never
And the fire won’t burn it down.
My hometown,
Your narrow streets
Full of people
Both old people
And young children
How good it is to flow into the river of old people and children
To breath in some air.
A rootless tree
Withers
A man without air
Dies.
***
I don’t oppose to the fact
That you have seen much:
Sunrise and sunset
And the endless ideal beauty.
Your hand touched upon
A thousand-year history.
Your path was bringing you
Through the stone deserts
And the palaces of rulers,
Powerful
And less known to the world.
You witnessed their ups and downs
Which remain stock-still
In carvings and paintings
That became famous today.
However,
You haven’t seen so much.
You haven’t seen
A drop of tear…
***
My days
Are standing still
Cracks in time
Are getting bigger
My calendar is cracked
My days
Are standing still
Like shadow
Of a scared man.
Heorhiy Valkavytski
( )
FIGHTERS
Next day the Polish troops retreated from Belavezha. Right away the Red Army soldiers showed up. Trying not to cause any inconvenience to the locals, they pitched their tents on the waste ground and were idling away their spare time there. I haven’t been present at the wellcoming ceremony and, therefore, have not heard about the event, but in Stachka one could see the erected green arch. They had obviously arranged some sort of meeting, because everyone in the area spoke about passionate speech made by some kind of Salanevich. Mainly dullness of military uniform and age difference of soldiers stroke our eyes. The word „a fighter” itself impressed us most of all: they did not have soldiers. They were military men but with no shoulder straps. It was the army but they had no officers in it. They had only some sort of triangles, cubes and rhombuses on their tabs. They did not have generals as well. We wondered where such colorless army obtained such a strict discipline and firmness. Within the course of the roadside debates of a „by us vs. by you” they would always win. Even in trade they came over us.
– Do you have bread in your area?
– Yes, up to the neck.
– And milk?
– As much as you like.
– And what about sausage?
– Pecked shelves.
According to them, the Soviet shelves were filled up with meat, sugar and butter. We would laugh at their „shelves”, but believe that down there, by them, it was better as compared to our life: we were also experiencing shortage of food stuff and money.
– No problem, you will join the BSSR, and will also have everything what you will need, -- we were consoled by the propagandists.
Yan Chykvin
( )
***
Where do the things of great people vanish:
Rubbers of Savanarola,
Foot wraps of Shakespeare,
A bridle for the horse of Alexander Macedonian?
Where do the remains
Of the first owners of
The pike,
Fire
And the plow rest?
Does anyone remember
The first words uttered by
Michelangelo,
Columbus,
Copernicus?
Why don’t we admit to ourselves:
Could we repeat by heart
At least two final sentences
Uttered by our parents
During our previous meeting with them?
***
The boat and the roars. The banks are in blossom.
The sand is streaming through the palms
Like precious time of our existence.
The streaming and creative air is around us.
Are we sailing or brought down by the current?
The bark is in motion like a living body.
Painful clarity wells out of the depths.
Does a moment or eternity shine like this?
We are sitting by the fire table of life.
Our destiny presented our wet and black shadows
With a piece of luck to peacefully observe
How the roars are sliding in the water without leaving a trace.
Translated by Ivan Burlyka
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