Ivan Shamyakin’s Evening with a Display of Archival Documents

On January 30, 2026, an evening dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the birth of the renowned Belarusian writer Ivan Shamyakin was held in the small and large halls of the Pioneer Cinema in Minsk. The event was jointly organized by the cinema’s administration and the Belarusian State Archives and Museum of Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as BGAMLI). The evening included speeches by Ivan Shamyakin’s granddaughter, literary scholar and science fiction writer Maria Vyacheslavovna Shamyakin; Natalia Nikolaevna Shapran, editor-in-chief of the magazine «Rodnaye Slova» (Native Words); and a presentation of a virtual exhibition of archival documents, «The Uninvented Shamyakin». From Documents to Screen», prepared by Dmitry Sergeevich Samakhvalov, a leading researcher at the archive-museum, and a screening of the feature film «I’ll Take Your Pain», directed by M.N.Ptashuk in 1980 from a screenplay by Ivan Shamyakin.

In her presentation, M.V.Shamyakin spoke about her famous grandfather, his human and creative qualities. N.M.Shapran introduced those present to recent publications by scholars of Ivan Shamyakin’s work. During the presentation of the virtual exhibition, D.S.Samokhvalov showcased the writer’s most interesting archival documents held at the Belarusian State Museum of Literature and Art, including handwritten versions of his novels and screenplays, readers’ notes, and little-known caricatures by the Belarusian graphic artist M.Ya.Lisovsky. The main goal of the exhibition was not only to introduce the documentary legacy but also to understand the extraordinary popularity of the writer’s works among readers and viewers. It’s worth remembering that Ivan Shamyakin was one of the most successful Belarusian writers of the last century. He wrote his fiction exclusively in Belarusian, but it was translated into 30 languages and published in a combined circulation of over 25 million copies. In 1972, he was awarded the honorary title of People’s Writer of Belarus.

1. M.V.Shamyakin during an interview

2. N.N.Shapran’s speech

3. D.S.Samokhvalov demonstrating caricatures by M.Ya.Lisovsky

4. Spectators during the evening