BGAMLI staff honored the memory of Belarusian classic writer Zmitrok Byadulya

April 23, 2026, marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of poet, novelist, and literary scholar Zmitrok Byadulya. On this day, staff of the Belarusian State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as BGAMLI), the State Museum of the History of Belarusian Literature, and prominent Belarusian cultural figures gathered to honor his memory and lay flowers at the grave of the Belarusian classic.

Biadulya’s son, I.S.Plavnik, addressed the gathering. He shared his memories of his father and thanked those gathered for their assistance in perpetuating the memory of the poet, novelist, and writer Zmitrok Byadulya.

Archive-Museum Director E.A.Makarenko spoke about the role of BGAMLI in preserving and popularizing Zmitrok Byadulya’s documents, which are housed in the archive-museum.

Zmitrok Byadulya died suddenly during evacuation on November 3, 1941, near Uralsk, Kazakhstan, where he was buried.

During the Soviet era, six attempts were made to return the ashes of the classic Belarusian writer to the republic, but for various reasons, each failed. In February 2020, Zmitrok Byadulya’s remains were exhumed and returned to Belarus. At the request of his relatives, the remains were kept, with the blessing of the Metropolitan, at the Church of St. Elias in Babruisk. On November 3 of that year, the remains were reburied at the Eastern Cemetery in Minsk. With the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, the Union of Writers of Belarus, Zmitrok Byadulya’s relatives, and hundreds of caring Belarusians who participated in a charity fundraiser, a tombstone created by a team of artists—sculptor S.L.Gumilevsky and architect V.I.Karak—was installed in 2025. On November 3, 2025, BGAMLI employees, led by Director E.A.Makarenko, also took part in the unveiling ceremony of the tombstone.

1. O.S.Orlovskaya, M.I.Pyshinskaya, and E.A.Makarenko

2. During E.A.Makarenko’s speech

3. E.A.Makarenko during the flower-laying ceremony

4. Participants in the event