Ales Adamovich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Алесь Адамовіч |
| Born | (1927-09-03)3 September 1927 Konyukhi,Byelorussian SSR,Soviet Union (now Belarus) |
| Died | 26 January 1994(1994-01-26) (aged 66) Moscow, Russia |
| Occupation | Writer and critic |
| Genre | Historical fiction,non-fiction |
| Subject | German occupation of Byelorussia during World War II,Siege of Leningrad |
| Years active | 1960–1985 |
| Notable works | Come and See (1985) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Soviet partisans |
| Years of service | 1943–1944 |
| Battles / wars | |
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Adamovich (Belarusian:Аляксандр Міхайлавіч Адамовіч,romanized: Aliaksandr Michajlavič Adamovič,Russian:Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Адамо́вич; 3 September 1927 – 26 January 1994) was aSovietBelarusian writer, screenwriter, literary critic and democratic activist. He wrote in both theRussian andBelarusian languages.
Having fought as achild soldier in theBelarusian resistance during World War II, much of Adamovich's work revolved around theGerman occupation of Byelorussia during World War II and the Belarusian partisan movement. Among his best-known books areKhatyn andThe Blockade Book. Adamovich also wrote multiple screenplays, including that ofCome and See.
A prominent critic ofStalinism and the Soviet system, he supported several democratic causes in the former Soviet Union, includingSoviet dissidents, theInter-regional Deputies Group, theBelarusian Popular Front andPresident of RussiaBoris Yeltsin.
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Adamovich was born 3 September 1927 in the village of Konyukhi inMinsk Region of what was then theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic of theSoviet Union. Both his parents were doctors.[1] Shortly after his birth, he moved, along with his parents, to the village of Glusha, inBobruysk Region. DuringWorld War II, Adamovich, aged 15, became apartisan unit member from 1943.[2][3]
Adamovich resumed his education following the end of fighting in Belarus in 1944. After the war, he entered theBelarusian State University where he studied in thephilology department and completed graduate course; he later studied inMoscow at the Higher Courses for Screenwriters and in theMoscow State University.[4]
Adamovich was a member of theUnion of Soviet Writers from 1957, although he disliked the organisation and considered it to be too strongly supportive of the Soviet government.[2] In 1962, Adamovich became an educator of Belarusian literature at Moscow State University, but was fired in 1966 for refusing to sign a letter condemningdissident writersAndrei Sinyavsky andYuli Daniel.[5] In 1976, he was awarded theYakub Kolas Belarus State Prize in literature forKhatyn.
Most of Adamovich's works were about theGerman occupation of Byelorussia during World War II, with his most well-regarded works including thenovellaKhatyn and the memoir collectionI am from the Fiery Village. ForI am from the Fiery Village, Adamovich collaborated with two other Belarusian writers,Janka Bryl andUladzimir Kalesnik, in interviewing three hundred survivors of the German occupation of Belarus.[3]
In 1989, Adamovich became one of the first members of the Belarusian chapter ofPEN International (Vasil Bykaŭ was founder and president of the Belarusian PEN). In 1994, following Adamovich's death, the Belarusian PEN Centre created the Ales Adamovich Literary Prize, a literary award to gifted writers and journalists.
Adamovich's maternal grandfather, Mitrafan Tychin, in 1930 was arrested and forced into internal exile in theYakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, alongside his wife and three children. His experiences with hardship under the rule ofJoseph Stalin in the 1930s resulted in Adamovich becoming a prominent critic ofStalinism and the Soviet political system.[6]
In 1982, Adamovich represented the delegation of the Byelorussian SSR to theUnited Nations General Assembly.[4]
After theChernobyl disaster in 1986, which had significant effects on Belarus, Adamovich actively promoted the disaster's effects among theSoviet ruling elite.[7][8]
From 1989 to 1991, Adamovich was a member of theCongress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union, from the anti-communistInter-regional Deputies Group.[2] Adamovich was also a significant supporter of theBelarusian Popular Front, assisting in the group's founding and operations.[9]
Following thedissolution of the Soviet Union, Adamovich chose to remain in Russia, where he had lived since 1986. In Russia, he continued his anti-communist activism, leading to him becoming co-chair of theMemorial organisation. In October 1993, amidst the1993 Russian constitutional crisis, Adamovich was a signatory of theLetter of Forty-Two, indicating his support for Yeltsin remaining in office.[10]
Adamovich died on 26 January 1994, at the age of 66, shortly after testifying for a property dispute involving two former literary organisations. According to his wife, the cause of death was a heart attack. Adamovich was remembered by Russian government news agencyTASS as a "prominent public activist who devoted much of his strength and energy to the strengthening of democracy in Russia".[2] In accordance with his will, he was buried in Glusha, next to his parents.
Adamovich has been posthumously regarded as among Belarus's greatest writers, and his works have received translation into over 20 languages.Svetlana Alexievich, the Belarusian winner of theNobel Prize in Literature 2015, names Adamovich as her "main teacher, who helped her to find a path of her own".[11]
In 1997 Ales Adamovich was recognized (posthumously) with the "Honor and Dignity of Talent" award (“За честь и достоинство таланта”). Recipients of this noble award includeDmitry Likhachov,Viktor Astafyev,Chinghiz Aitmatov,Vasil Bykaŭ,Fazil Iskander,Boris Slutsky,Bulat Okudzhava.
