BSAMLA: 110 years since the birth of the people’s poet of Belarus Arkady Kuleshov

Today, February 6, is the 110th anniversary of the birth of the national poet of Belarus Arkady Kuleshov (1914-1978).

On the occasion of the poet’s anniversary, BSAMLA workers gave an interview to the newspaper «Zvyazda», talked and gave a tour of the new exhibition «Perad of yourself and the world will be right..». for Alexander Matyas, correspondent of the ONT TV channel.

Kuleshov Arkady Alexandrovich was born on February 6, 1914. in the village of Samotevichi, Klimovichi district, Mogilev province (now Kostyukovichi district, Mogilev region) in a family of teachers. In 1928 entered the Mstislav Pedagogical College, and in 1931. transferred to the first year of the literary faculty of the Belarusian Higher Pedagogical Institute, where he studied until the spring of 1933. was a member of the BelAPP. He worked in the editorial office of the newspaper «Chyrvonaya Zmena» (1934), at the Belarusian Radio (1934–1936), as a literary consultant in the office of a young author at the BSSR SP (1936–1937). In 1941–1943 – at the front in the army newspaper «Banner of the Soviets», 1943–1945. – at the Belarusian headquarters of the partisan movement. In 1945–1946 – editor of the newspaper «Literature and Arts», 1958–1967. – Head of the script department, editor-in-chief of the Belarusfilm film studio. In 1961, as part of the BSSR delegation, he participated in the XVI session of the UN General Assembly. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the BSSR (1947–1978). Member of the USSR SP since 1934.

He was awarded two Orders of Lenin (1948, 1964), the Order of the Red Banner (1943), two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1955, 1974) and medals. People’s Poet of the BSSR (1968), Honored Worker of Culture of the Ukrainian SSR (1973). Laureate of USSR State Prizes (1946 – for the poem «Scyag Brygady», 1949 – for the poem «New Rechyshcha»). Laureate of the State Prize of Belarus named after Y. Kupala (1970 – for translations of the poetry of M. Lermontov, the poems «Aeneid» by I. Kotlyarevsky, «Speў ab Gayavatse» by G. Longfellow). Laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize of Belarus (1968 – for the poems «Terrible Pushcha», «Only ўperad», «Song of the Slavnym Pahodze» and poems in periodicals).

The Foundation of the People’s Poet of Belarus Arkady Kuleshov is one of the largest in BSAMLA. It contains over 3,700 documents. For the anniversary year of the creator, the archive-museum will present valuable documents at the literary and documentary exhibition «Peradise yourself and the world to be right..».

Visitors are presented with numerous manuscripts of Kuleshov’s iconic works, as well as documents that shed light on the myths associated with his poetry. Letters from friends of childhood and youth reveal interesting facts about the poet’s biography, which have not yet been mentioned in the known information about Arkady Alexandrovich. Among all the wealth of the Kuleshov Foundation, the attention of biographers and researchers will be attracted by the unique letters of the military couple, which preserved the emotions and thoughts of the Kuleshov circle of friends and relatives.

BSAMLA specialists suggest re-reading Kuleshov’s lines, known from childhood, through the prism of the documents presented in the archival collection.