VASIL BYKOV TO BE BURIED ON JUNE 25 IN MINSK :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarus will farewell with an outstanding national writer Vasil Bykov on June 25 in the Minsk Palace of literature, RIA “Novosti” was told in the Union of Belarusian writers. Supposedly, the mourning ceremony will start at 10a.m., Minsk time. Vasil Bykov will be buried in the Eastern graveyard of Minsk.

The national writer of Belarus Vasil Bykov died on Sunday in the intensive care of the oncology hospital in Borovlyany near Minsk. Belarus lost one of her best sons. Vasil Bykov was not only Belarus’ greatest writer, whose books we start reading in our childhood years and keep reading till the end of our lives. Vasil Bykov is a conscience of the Belarusian nation. We bring our heartiest condolences to his family members and the whole of the Belarusian nation.

Vasil Bykov was born on June 19, 1924 in the town of Bychki, Vitebsk region. He fought in the Army in the Second and Third Ukrainian fronts on the territory of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, being twice wounded.

For the first time Vasil Bykov’s writings were published in the year 1947, but the official writer’s biography opens with the stories, written in 1951. The topic of his early stories about soldiers and officers defined the further direction of his work, dedicated to the events of the Second World War. The uncompromising nature of Bykov’s novels provoked attacks of the Soviet criticism, which accused the writer of blackening the Soviet system of rule.

In the year 1974 Vasil Bykov was awarded the State Award of the USSR for his novel “Living till dawn” (1973), in 1980 he was honored a “National Writer of Belarus” title, while in 1986 was awarded Lenin’s award for the “Sign of trouble”.

Vasil Bykov won popularity with the novel “Third rocket”, written in 1962. In 60ies he also published “The Alps’ ballad”, “Dead don’t hurt”, in 70-ies “Sotnikov”, “Obelisk”, “Living till dawn” and “To Go and Not to Return”.

These writings put Vasil Bykov into one group with the distinguished military writers of the XX century.

Mid-90ies almost returned the writer back into Soviet times. Wide defamation campaign, unfurled in state press, ban and censorship on the issue of new publications and deteriorating health forced Bykov to leave his homeland. He spent a few years living abroad.

In December last year Vasil Bykov moved to Czech Republic. Back then the writer said that “he’d been long dreaming of settling down in that country, having great respect for its citizens”. The Czech president Vatslav Gavel personally assisted him in that. A couple of years before that Bykov lived in Germany and Finland.

Some time ago he was operated in Czech Republic, having his stomach cancer tumor removed. In Belarus the writer was on rehabilitation following operation, but still suffered from heavy consequences and complications.

photos taken in Berlin - August, 2000