115th Anniversary of Vasil Vitka’s Birth: The Classic’s Personal Collection at the Belarusian State Archive and Museum of Literature and Art

May 16th marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Vasil Vitka (Timofey Vasilyevich Krysko), a Belarusian poet, novelist, playwright, critic, and teacher. Vasil Vitka was born in 1911 in the village of Yevlichi, Slutsk District, Minsk Region.

His brilliant poetic talent was most fully expressed in his children’s works, and he served as the editor-in-chief of the magazine «Vyasyolka» from 1957 to 1974. A significant portion of the writer’s creative and personal materials are carefully preserved at the Belarusian State Archive and Museum of Literature and Art. This collection was acquired by the Belarusian State Archive and Museum of Literature and Art on December 19, 1997, by the poet’s daughter, N.T. Gavrilovets. The archival materials include unique photographs, manuscripts, personal notebooks, letters to Vasil Vitka from colleagues and friends, biographical materials, and books from his personal library, including those with valuable inscriptions. Some documents from the writer’s archive are housed at the State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature.

To mark the anniversary, leading archivist of the Belarusian State Museum of Literature and Literature, N.A.Mizon, gave a detailed interview to a BelTA news agency correspondent. She discussed the unique composition of the poet’s archive, his creative work, and his warm, friendly relationships with fellow writers.

The full text of the interview can be found at this link.

Additionally, the archive-museum website is hosting a virtual exhibition, «Vasil Vitka – a Poet of the Spirit».