Janka Bryl
Encyclopedia
Janka Bryl was a Belarus
ian writer best known for his short stories.
, Ukraine
, the family moved back to the village of Zahora in his parents' native Kareličy
District of Hrodna
, then part of Poland
(it is now in Belarus).
at the beginning of World War II
, and he was captured by the Germans in 1939. He escaped in 1941. After October 1942 he was a messenger for a partisan brigade, later becoming a scout for the partisan Komsomolets brigade. He edited the Freedom Flag newspaper, and authored various anti-Nazi leaflets. In October 1944 he moved to Minsk
where he worked on several newspapers and magazines such as Vozhyk (Hedgehog), Maladosc (Youth), Polymia (Flame) as well as in the State Publishing House.
.
Bryl was one of the older generation of Soviet writers who had begun their literary careers in Stalin's
time but received a new lease on life in the late 1950s along with such contemporaries as Ivan Shamiakin
and Ivan Mielezh.
He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1952 and the Jakub Kolas Literature Prize
in 1963. In 1981, he was awarded the honorific title of People's Writer of the Byelorussian SSR
and in 1994 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian writer best known for his short stories.
Early life
Five years after Bryl was born in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, the family moved back to the village of Zahora in his parents' native Kareličy
Karelicy
Kareličy is a town in Hrodna Province, Belarus, a raion center.The town was historically a center of a large Jewish community, its population in 1900 was 1,840.- People from Kareličy :* Ignacy Domeyko...
District of Hrodna
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
, then part of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(it is now in Belarus).
World War II
Bryl served in the Polish NavyPolish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
at the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and he was captured by the Germans in 1939. He escaped in 1941. After October 1942 he was a messenger for a partisan brigade, later becoming a scout for the partisan Komsomolets brigade. He edited the Freedom Flag newspaper, and authored various anti-Nazi leaflets. In October 1944 he moved to Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
where he worked on several newspapers and magazines such as Vozhyk (Hedgehog), Maladosc (Youth), Polymia (Flame) as well as in the State Publishing House.
Literature
Bryl's first story appeared in 1938 and his first short story collection appeared in 1946. The first collection of stories was called Apaviadanni (Stories). Bryl's books are mostly works of psychological fiction and his characters tend to be sensitive and prone to introspection. They were largely set in Belarusian villages and frequently about the people's fight against the NazisNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
Bryl was one of the older generation of Soviet writers who had begun their literary careers in Stalin's
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
time but received a new lease on life in the late 1950s along with such contemporaries as Ivan Shamiakin
Ivan Shamiakin
Ivan Shamiakin — a Soviet Belarusian writer, he was perhaps one of the most prolific writers of the Soviet BSSR, writing in a socialist realist style....
and Ivan Mielezh.
He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1952 and the Jakub Kolas Literature Prize
State Prizes of the Soviet Republics
The State Prizes of the Soviet Republics were each republic counterpart to the USSR State Prize. Each republic granted several different prizes, generally named after writers or artists from the republic, as well as a blanket Komsomol prize for young artists....
in 1963. In 1981, he was awarded the honorific title of People's Writer of the Byelorussian SSR
People's Writer
People's Writer was a title granted by the Republics of the Soviet Union and the Autonomous Republics of the Soviet Union to its distinguished writers.It was a title similar to that of People's Artist of the Soviet Union for literary achievements....
and in 1994 he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the national academy of Belarus.-History:...
.