To the 100th anniversary of the translator, prose writer, participant of the Great Patriotic War Pyotr Stefanovich (1922-2006)

Pyotr Stefanovich Stefanovich was born on the 28th of June, 1922, in the village of Semkov Gorodok, Minsk region. He graduated from the high school in Oshmyany (1939). His first publications appeared in the Oshmyany district newspaper «Banner of Freedom» (1941), whose editor invited him to the position of a literary worker.

During the Great Patriotic War he was evacuated to Tambov region, from where he was drafted into the army. In 1942 he graduated from the courses of junior lieutenants in the Transbaikal Military District and the courses of the Ministry of Armed Forces of the USSR. Participated in battles on the Southern Front. In 1943 he was wounded. Was treated in Kuibyshev hospital. In autumn 1944 P. Stefanovich was recalled from Karelian front and sent to Polish Army, where he served as chief of staff of the 10th infantry division. He was demobilized in 1950.

He worked at different construction sites as head foreman, engineer, chief engineer, head of the department of capital construction in the Minsk Region Executive Committee (1950-1969), an engineer in the Belarusian branch of the Literature Fonds of the USSR (1969-1979), took part in the construction of the House of Writers in Minsk, designed the House of Creativity «Isloch”. Worked as a literary editor in the Vozhyk magazine (1979-1984).

Member of the Union of Writers of the USSR (1990), member of the Union of Journalists of Belarus (1982). He was awarded orders of the Great Patriotic War and the Red Star, and received medals.

P. Stefanovich died on 13 June 2006.

Stefanovich started his systematic literary work in 1964, translating from Polish into Belarusian and Russian, and from Belarusian into Polish. He translated into Polish many books for children. He also translated into Belarusian and Russian the works of the Polish writers G. Gaworski, A. Widzinski, A. Dembinski, J. Zajdel, K. Zemski, J. Litan, T. Różewicz, W. Smulski, M. Szulecka, E. Edigei, etc. He compiled the anthologies «From Bug to Oder. Novellas of Polish Writers», «Humor and Satire of Modern Polish Writers», «Fur with Laughter», «Anthology of Popular Jewish Humor». Translated the works of Russian, Ukrainian and Macedonian writers into the Belarusian language. He has written essays, humoresques, sketches, and short stories.

The Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art holds the personal collection of Pyotr Stefanovich (No. 477), which presents manuscripts (translations of works by Belarusian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and Macedonian writers; plays, sketches, scripts, essays, articles, humoresques, etc.), correspondence, biography documents, documents about P. Stefanovich, a collection of photographs.

1. П. Стефанович. 1970-е гг. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 225. Л. 2.

2. И. Шамякин. «Atlanty I kariatydy» («Атланты и кариатиды»). Роман в переводе П. Стефановича и Ю. Озги-Михальского с белорусского языка. Машинопись с правкой П. Стефановича. 1978 г. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 1. Лл. 1-2.

3. Г. Буравкин. «Elegia jesienna» («Осенняя элегия»). Стихотворение в переводе П. Стефановича с белорусского языка. Машинопись. 1976 г. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 25. Л. 2.

4. П. Пестрак. «List ze Szwajcarii» («Письмо из Швейцарии»). Стихотворение в переводе П. Стефановича с белорусского языка. Автограф переводчика. 1976 г. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 25. Лл. 8-9.

5. Э. Нізюрскі. «Незваные гости». Пьеса в переводе П. Стефановича с польского языка. Автограф переводчика. 1966 г. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 76. Лл. 1, 5.

6. С. Яневский. «Партызаны з Караорману». Стихотворение в переводе П. Стефановича с македонского языка. Машинопись. 1980-е гг. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 115. Л. 3.

7. П. Стефанович. «Зубны боль». Скетч. Вариант. Автограф. 1975-1980 гг. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 117. Лл. 4-5.

8. «Весёлый уикэнд. Антология народного еврейского юмора». Подборка анекдотов, притч, пословиц, поговорок к предполагаемому сборнику. Составитель П. Стефанович. Автограф. 1996 г. БГАМЛИ. Ф. 477. Оп. 1. Ед. хр. 131. Лл. 2, 7.