In Poland, as in many European countries, Belarus is a country with a rather low profile. It was only the events of 2020 that demonstrated that there is a significant, strong civic community in Belarus demanding reform. In this context, research on various aspects of Belarusian literary life, culture and art is vital: it will serve not only to demonstrate Belarus’s rich literary and artistic output, but also the achievements of the process of Europeanization, which is crucial for the future of the country. Such activities are especially important now, as Belarusian culture is being repressed by the authorities and its representatives are either unable to work or are forced to emigrate.
This lecture, inter alia, presented the history of 20th- and early 21st-century Belarusian literature, émigré literary and cultural activity in the years 1945-1953, and the development of the National Theater as a leading cultural institution in times of transformation (first in the 1920s, and then after the collapse of the USSR). Finally, it showed the increasing importance of Belarusian dramaturgy over the past twenty years. The last part of the presentation reflected on further avenues for research.
Andriej Moskwin (Professor, Department of Belarusian Studies, Faculty of Applied Linguistics, University of Warsaw) is Editor-in-chief of the magazine “Theater Studies of Central and Eastern Europe” and Head of the Laboratory for Drama and Theater Studies in Central and Eastern Europe (University of Warsaw).
Clemena Antonova, Research Director of the Eurasia in Global Dialogue program, moderated the talk.
Dessy Gavrilova, founding director of The Red House- Center for Culture and Debate in Sofia, commented.
