Roundtable discussion with the opening of the exhibition «Knight of the Spirit» dedicated to the 95th anniversary of V.S.Korotkevich at the Belarusian State Archives and Museum of Literature and Art (BSAMLI)

On November 26, 2025, the 95th anniversary of the birth of the classic Belarusian writer V.S.Korotkevich, a roundtable discussion with the opening of the exhibition «Knight of the Spirit» was held at the Belarusian State Archives and Museum of Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as BSAMLI). Speakers on a wide range of topics addressed the numerous attendees, united by their interest in and respect for the multifaceted personality of Vladimir Semenovich Korotkevich, poet, novelist, playwright, publicist, translator, and screenwriter.

BSAMLI Director E.A.Makarenko delivered a welcoming speech and spoke about the work of archivists in preserving and studying the writer’s documentary legacy.

The exhibition’s curator, leading archivist N.A.Mizon, introduced the exhibited documents to those present, highlighting the most valuable ones. She explained how official documents (meeting minutes, certificates, letters to organizations and institutions, questionnaires), which regulate and record social life, contrast with creative documents (manuscripts of poems and novels, letters to loved ones, images of V.Korotkevich and his friends, and family photographs). Both sets of documents are abundantly represented at the Belarusian State Museum of Literature and Literature (BSAMLI) and contribute to research into the writer’s life and work.

L.V.Oleynik, Associate Professor of the Department of Theoretical and Belarusian Literary Studies at the Faculty of Philology at BSU, spoke about the literary aspect of studying V. Korotkevich’s work and shared interesting facts from her family life, showing a photograph of a meeting of young writers in 1957, which her father, V. Dailida, attended along with V.Korotkevich. During L.V.Oleinik’s presentation, the philology students were intrigued by the scholars present at the roundtable discussion on the issue of historical truth and fiction in the works of V.Korotkevich and other writers.

Professor S.N.Khodin, Head of the Department of Source Studies at the Faculty of History of Belarusian State University, presented a report on the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and recited V.Korotkevich’s poems on this topic.

Literary scholar P.P.Zholnerovich spoke about the large volume of documents in Korotkevich’s legacy and the search for them by specialists in private archives in Belarus and abroad. He called on young people, including the philology students present, to join this important effort to expand the personal collection of V.Korotkevich at the Belarusian State Academy of Literature and Literature, as well as the collections of literary museums and the library of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus. The exhibition organizers were pleased to learn that P.P.Zholnerovich, an expert on V.Korotkevich’s legacy and the editor of the writer’s collected works (volume 22 was recently published), expressed particular interest in two documents—a letter from V.Korotkevich to V.Kolesnik and a letter from V.Korotkevich to literary critic A.Makarov (Moscow). These documents were unknown to the researcher and are yet to be included in the collected works.

Honorary archivist A.V.Zapartyko spoke about the formation of V.S. Korotkevich’s collection No.56 and cited an example of the writer himself, in an original and metaphorical manner, writing a request to the archive regarding the submission of documents to the future collection.

Associate professor of the Department of Television and Radio Broadcasting at BSU, E.I.Morozova presented an analysis of V. Korotkevich’s work as a screenwriter and cited examples of numerous programs on Belarusian television, at the origins of which Vladimir Semenovich was a key figure.

Poet, writer, radio and television journalist, and host of his own programs, N.Ya.Galperovich, spoke about how V.Korotkevich’s books influenced him at a young age and shaped his future life and creative path. Naum Yakovlevich’s engaging stories from his personal acquaintance with Vladimir Semenovich provided a pleasant poetic chord at the conclusion of the gala event dedicated to V.S.Korotkevich’s 95th birthday. Naum Galperovich said: «I am a product of Korotkevich. My entire family is a product of Korotkevich…

Karotkevich is a symbol, a teacher. He gave Belarusians a dream! People need lofty myths, lofty concepts, to rise above this sinful earth. Korotkevich raised us above this sinful earth and made us human».

1. During the speech of the Director of the Belarusian State Academy of Literature and Art, E.A.Makarenko

2. During the opening of the exhibition «Knight of the Chalavechaga Spirit»

3. N.A.Mizon presents the exhibition «Knight of the Chalavechaga Spirit»

4. Speech by L.V.Aleinik

5. Speech by P.P.Zholnerovich

6. Speech by S.N.Khodin

7. Speech by A.V.Zapartyko

8. Speech by E.I.Morozova

9. Speech by N.Ya.Galperovich