Collection of poetry «Evenings and the Madman»

Annotation

Dunin-Martsinkevich’s second book of poetry. The book includes a versed novella in two parts “Evenings” in Belarusian (1855) and a melodrama in five scenes “The Madman” in Polish (1855).

“Evenings” is based on Belarusian folklore. The story tells that in the house of an old man, Anany, the young and old people gather together in the evenings to listen to the host’s tales. The subjects are intertwined with folk tales, legends and anecdotes. The first part is set in Minsk and its neighbourhood, the second one takes the reader into the old past, when, according to the legend, a good prince Gramaboy reigned in the town of Lagoisk.

“The Madman” ridicules a weak passion for futile writing, callousness and hypocrisy, insincerity in love.