Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich
Encyclopedia
Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič was a Belarusian writer, poet, dramatist and social activist and is considered as one of the founders of the modern Belarusian literary tradition and national school theatre.
Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkievich was born in a Belarusian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth szlachta
family in the region of Babruysk
. He graduated from the medical faculty of the University of St. Petersburg.
He wrote both in contemporary Belarusian
and Polish
languages. Writing in modern Belarusian language he faced the problem of its being not standardized, as the written tradition of the Old Belarusian (Ruthenian) language
had been largely extinct by that time.
From 1827 Dunin-Martsinkyevich lived and worked in Minsk
as a bureaucrat. In 1840 he acquired a mansion near Ivyanets
and went there to write most of his works.
In 1859 he translated into Belarusian language
Adam Mickiewicz
's epic poem Pan Tadeusz
and published it in Wilno. Under the pressure of Russian Empire
authorities he succeeded in publishing only the first two chapters of the poem. This was the first translation of the poem into another slavic language
.
Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich was accused by the police in separatist propaganda during the January Uprising
. He was arrested but later set free but kept under supervision by the police.
The writer was buried in Tupalshchyna, now Valozhyn rajon.
Note: proper names and place names are rendered in BGN/PCGN
.
Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkievich was born in a Belarusian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
family in the region of Babruysk
Babruysk
Babruysk or Bobruysk is a city in the Mahilyow Voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. It is a large city in Belarus with a population of approximately 227,000 people . The name Babruysk probably originates from the Belarusian word babyor , many of which used to inhabit the Berezina...
. He graduated from the medical faculty of the University of St. Petersburg.
He wrote both in contemporary Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
and Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
languages. Writing in modern Belarusian language he faced the problem of its being not standardized, as the written tradition of the Old Belarusian (Ruthenian) language
Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
had been largely extinct by that time.
From 1827 Dunin-Martsinkyevich lived and worked in 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...
as a bureaucrat. In 1840 he acquired a mansion near Ivyanets
Ivyanets
Ivyanets is a township in the Valozhyn Raion of the Minsk Voblast, Belarus. It is located in a hilly and woody area on the river Volma. It is known since mid-15th century as a privately owned settlement of Sollohub family. Originally known as Givenech, presumably derived from Lithuanian gyventi –...
and went there to write most of his works.
In 1859 he translated into Belarusian language
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
's epic poem Pan Tadeusz
Pan Tadeusz
Pan Tadeusz, the full title in English: Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Lithuanian Foray: A Nobleman's Tale from the Years of 1811 and 1812 in Twelve Books of Verse is an epic poem by the Polish poet, writer and philosopher Adam Mickiewicz...
and published it in Wilno. Under the pressure of Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
authorities he succeeded in publishing only the first two chapters of the poem. This was the first translation of the poem into another slavic language
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
.
Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich was accused by the police in separatist propaganda during the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
. He was arrested but later set free but kept under supervision by the police.
The writer was buried in Tupalshchyna, now Valozhyn rajon.
Most notable works
- Opera "Sielanka" — the first play, written partly in contemporary Belarusian language.
- Poem "Hapon" — the first poem, written completely in contemporary Belarusian.
- Plays and poetry, some of them in contemporary Belarusian (1855–1861), some of them being:
- "Wieczernice i Opętany" (1856)
- "Interested? Read it! Three tales and brief verse" ;
- "Belarusian piper" ;
- "Bylicy, raskazy Nawuma" ;
- "Chalimon na karanacji" ;
- "Lucynka czyli Szwedzi na Litwie" (1861);
- Play "Pinskaya shlyakhta"
- The first Belarusian translation of A. MickiewiczAdam MickiewiczAdam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
's "Pan TadeuszPan TadeuszPan Tadeusz, the full title in English: Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Lithuanian Foray: A Nobleman's Tale from the Years of 1811 and 1812 in Twelve Books of Verse is an epic poem by the Polish poet, writer and philosopher Adam Mickiewicz...
" (1859; published only partly, the circulation confiscated almost immediately).
Note: proper names and place names are rendered in BGN/PCGN
BGN/PCGN romanization of Belarusian
The BGN/PCGN romanization system for Belarusian is a method for romanization of Cyrillic Belarusian texts, that is, their transliteration into the Latin alphabet....
.