Classics to be popularised with renewed vigour

Zinaida Komarovskaya and Natalia Ashimbaeva, who head the Yakub Kolas State Literary Memorial Museum and St. Petersburg’s F.M. Dostoevsky Literary-Memorial Museum, sign agreement on co-operation

According to Ms. Koma­rovskaya, these two museums are united by an atmosphere of creativity and a love of life. “These aren’t merely cultural institutions but homes to national literary classics,” she notes. The director of the Belarusian museum won’t reveal all the plans for future collaboration but is confident that, next year, there will be a special display on Dostoevsky in Minsk. Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg museum will host an exhibition dedicated to Yakub Kolas. Joint participation in scientific conferences is planned, as is organisation of joint projects and exhibitions.

Ms. Ashimbaeva notes that though the writers are completely different, they boast many points of spiritual coincidence, and ‘deep alliance’. She believes that Yakub Kolas appreciated the work of Dostoevsky, as confirmed by his notebooks and manuscripts. “This is very precious for us,” she asserts. On August 13th, on the anniversary of Yakub Kolas’ death, Minsk hosted events dedicated to the memory of this People’s Poet of Belarus; in particular, there was a commemorative meeting at the poet’s grave, at the Military Cemetery in Minsk.

According to writer Anatoly Butevich, who attended the meeting, the day provokes people to ponder how the memory of Belarusian classical writers is being perpetuated. In his words, much still needs to be done to preserve the immortal honouring of their work. He is keen that every generation, including those yet to be born, not only learns about the lives of great writers but gains an understanding and love of their works. He would like to see those works further popularised globally via translation. “By appreciating and studying our ancestors, we build strong cultural foundations for today and tomorrow,” underlines Mr. Butevich.