Фота: Reform.news.
A literary evening marking the 80th birthday of Uladzimir Niakliaeu took place on July 11 in the courtyard of the Ossolineum National Institute in Wroclaw. Friends, colleagues, readers, and representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gathered to congratulate one of Belarus’s most celebrated poets and writers.
Niakliaeu was in high spirits throughout the evening, joking with the audience and generously complimenting his guests.
One of the poet’s witty remarks quickly spread online after Tsikhanouskaya congratulated him with a kiss.
“I remembered that I once kissed Brezhnev. Well, I can tell you—it was nothing like this!” the writer joked, before adding: “Let’s elect women—and then we’ll have someone worth kissing!”
The author of the novels A Soda Vending Machine With and Without Syrup and Hey Ben Hinnom thanked Poland for its hospitality and for providing refuge in exile.
On behalf of the host institution, Deputy Director of the Ossolineum Grzegorz Makuch and Deputy Director of the Princes Lubomirski Museum Joanna Bloch warmly congratulated the Belarusian writer and welcomed the guests.
In turn, prominent Polish scholar of Central European literature, Doctor of Humanities, and Head of Communications at the Ossolineum Katarzyna Uczkiewicz emphasized that Niakliaeu’s work is especially close to Polish culture and easily understood by Polish readers, while at the same time remaining remarkably original and revealing the unique voice of Belarus to the world.
Guests also arrived from Bialystok to congratulate the Nobel Prize nominee. Anatol Vap, head of the Belarusian Cultural Center in Bialystok, together with his well-known namesake Yauhen Vap, editor-in-chief of the weekly Niva and director of Radio Racyja, presented the jubilarian with a painting depicting a European bison.
To mark the anniversary, the Bialystok Center, together with the Kamunikat.org Foundation, published a new collection of Niakliaeu’s short stories titled The Holy Spring. Visitors were able to purchase the special edition and receive the poet’s autograph during the event.
Among the guests were other prominent figures of contemporary Belarusian culture, including poets Andrei Khadanovich and Nasta Kudasava, as well as other writers and artists.
The highlight of the evening was Niakliaeu’s own poetry reading. Once again, he demonstrated his ability to captivate and inspire an audience, delivering excerpts from his poems Polonaise and Jagiello.
The celebration concluded with a musical performance and a birthday cake. After the event, a long line of well-wishers formed to receive the poet’s autograph and personally wish him many more years of life.