Yanka Kupala
Encyclopedia
Yanka Kupala — was the pen name of Ivan Daminikavich Lutsevich , a Belarus
ian poet and writer. Kupala is considered one of the greatest Belarusian-language writers of the 20th century.
, a folwark
settlement near Maladzyechna
. His family was of Szlachta
origins, although both of Kupala's parents were employed as tenant farmers at the folwark. Kupala was thus essentially born into a landless peasant class. Kupala received a traditional Belarusian education, completing his studies in 1898. Following the death of his father in 1902, Kupala worked a variety of short-term jobs, including as a tutor, a shop assistant, and a record keeper.
Kupala's first serious literary attempt was Ziarno, a Polish-language sentimental poem which he completed around 1903-1904 under the pseudonym "K-a." His first Belarusian-language work ("Мая доля") was dated July 15, 1904. Kupala's first published poem, "Мужык" ("Peasant"), was published approximately a year later, appearing in Belarusian in the Russophone Belarusian newspaper Severo-Zapadnyi Krai (Northwestern Krai
) on 11 May 1905. A number of subsequent poems by Kupala appeared in the Belarusian-language newspaper Nasha Niva from 1906 to 1907.
in 1908, where he continued with his career as a poet. The same year the first published collection of his poems, Жалейка (The Little Flute) brought on the ire of the czarist government, which ordered the book confiscated as an anti-government publication. The order for Kupala's arrest was revoked in 1909, but a second printing was again confiscated, this time by the local authorities in Vilnius. Kupala ceased working for the Nasha Niva in order to avoid ruining the reputation of the newspaper.
Kupala left for St. Petersburg in 1909. The subsequent year saw the publication of several works, including the poem Адвечная песьня (Eternal Song), which appeared as a book in St. Petersburg in July 1910. Сон на кургане (Dream on a Barrow)– completed in August 1910 –symbolised the poor state of Kupala's Belarusian homeland. Kupala left St. Petersburg and returned to Vilnius in 1913. Among those influencing Kupala in the 1910s was Maxim Gorky
.
of 1917. Among Kupala's numerous translations into the Belarusian language was the internationalist-Marxist anthem The Internationale
. Nevertheless, Kupala maintained his connections with the anti-Soviet oriented nationalist emigres of the Belarusian National Republic
, who exhorted that he join them in exile in Czechoslovakia
during a trip abroad in 1927. At home, the newly-established authorities considered him with some distrust–at times, criticism of Kupala in the press mounted insofar as Kupala's activities were regarded as too oriented around nationalism. This period stopped once Kupala printed a public letter of apology in the 1930s.
Kupala was awarded the Order of Lenin
in 1941 for the poetry collection Ад сэрца (From the Heart).
With the Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
in 1941, because of being very ill he moved to Moscow
and then to Tatarstan
. But even from there he wrote poems supporting the Belarusian partisans fighting against Nazi Germany
. He died mysteriously in 1942 in Moscow
, having fallen down the stairwell in Hotel Moskva
. The death was officially ruled to be accidental, but speculations about suicide or murder still persist.
Kupala became recognised as a symbol of Belarusian culture during the Soviet era. A museum, organised in Minsk
through the efforts of his widow in 1945, is the leading literary museum in Belarus. The western city of Hrodna
is the home of Yanka Kupala State University, established in 1978.
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 poet and writer. Kupala is considered one of the greatest Belarusian-language writers of the 20th century.
Early life
Kupala was born on July 7, 1882 in ViazynkaMaladzyechna Raion
Maladzyechna Raion is a second-level administrative subdivision of Minsk Voblast, Belarus. Its capital is the town of Maladzyechna....
, a folwark
Folwark
Folwark is a Polish word for a primarily serfdom-based farm and agricultural enterprise , often very large. Folwarks were operated in the Crown of Poland from the 14th century and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 15th century, from the second half of the 16th century in the joint...
settlement near Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna , is a city in the Minsk Voblast of Belarus, an administrative centre of the Maladzyechna district . It has 98,514 inhabitants and is located 72 km northwest of Minsk. Located on the Usha River, it has been a settlement since 1388 when it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania...
. His family was of 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...
origins, although both of Kupala's parents were employed as tenant farmers at the folwark. Kupala was thus essentially born into a landless peasant class. Kupala received a traditional Belarusian education, completing his studies in 1898. Following the death of his father in 1902, Kupala worked a variety of short-term jobs, including as a tutor, a shop assistant, and a record keeper.
Kupala's first serious literary attempt was Ziarno, a Polish-language sentimental poem which he completed around 1903-1904 under the pseudonym "K-a." His first Belarusian-language work ("Мая доля") was dated July 15, 1904. Kupala's first published poem, "Мужык" ("Peasant"), was published approximately a year later, appearing in Belarusian in the Russophone Belarusian newspaper Severo-Zapadnyi Krai (Northwestern Krai
Krai
Krai or kray was a type of an administrative division in the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, and is one of the types of the federal subjects of modern Russia ....
) on 11 May 1905. A number of subsequent poems by Kupala appeared in the Belarusian-language newspaper Nasha Niva from 1906 to 1907.
In Vilnius and St. Petersburg
Kupala moved from Belarus to VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 1908, where he continued with his career as a poet. The same year the first published collection of his poems, Жалейка (The Little Flute) brought on the ire of the czarist government, which ordered the book confiscated as an anti-government publication. The order for Kupala's arrest was revoked in 1909, but a second printing was again confiscated, this time by the local authorities in Vilnius. Kupala ceased working for the Nasha Niva in order to avoid ruining the reputation of the newspaper.
Kupala left for St. Petersburg in 1909. The subsequent year saw the publication of several works, including the poem Адвечная песьня (Eternal Song), which appeared as a book in St. Petersburg in July 1910. Сон на кургане (Dream on a Barrow)– completed in August 1910 –symbolised the poor state of Kupala's Belarusian homeland. Kupala left St. Petersburg and returned to Vilnius in 1913. Among those influencing Kupala in the 1910s was Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
.
During the Soviet period
Kupala's writing changed to an optimistic tone following the Great October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917. Among Kupala's numerous translations into the Belarusian language was the internationalist-Marxist anthem The Internationale
The Internationale
The Internationale is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem.The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism, and gained particular fame under the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1944, when it was that communist state's de facto central anthem...
. Nevertheless, Kupala maintained his connections with the anti-Soviet oriented nationalist emigres of the Belarusian National Republic
Belarusian National Republic
The Belarusian People's Republic was a self-declared independent Belarusian state, which declared independence in 1918. It is also called the Belarusian Democratic Republic or the Belarusian National Republic, in order to distinguish it from Communist People's Republics...
, who exhorted that he join them in exile in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
during a trip abroad in 1927. At home, the newly-established authorities considered him with some distrust–at times, criticism of Kupala in the press mounted insofar as Kupala's activities were regarded as too oriented around nationalism. This period stopped once Kupala printed a public letter of apology in the 1930s.
Kupala was awarded the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
in 1941 for the poetry collection Ад сэрца (From the Heart).
With the Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany occurred as part of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 and ended in August 1944 with the Soviet Operation Bagration.- Background :...
in 1941, because of being very ill he moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and then to Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
. But even from there he wrote poems supporting the Belarusian partisans fighting against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He died mysteriously in 1942 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, having fallen down the stairwell in Hotel Moskva
Hotel Moskva (Moscow)
The Hotel Moskva name has been used for two identical buildings on the same spot in Moscow, Russia located near Red Square in close proximity to the old City Hall. The first Hotel Moskva was originally constructed from 1932 until 1938, it opened as a hotel in December 1935...
. The death was officially ruled to be accidental, but speculations about suicide or murder still persist.
Kupala became recognised as a symbol of Belarusian culture during the Soviet era. A museum, organised 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...
through the efforts of his widow in 1945, is the leading literary museum in Belarus. The western city 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...
is the home of Yanka Kupala State University, established in 1978.
External links
- Yanka Kupala's sonnets translated by Vera RichVera RichVera Rich was a British poet, journalist, historian, and translator from Belarusian and Ukrainian.Born in London, she studied at St Hilda's College of University of Oxford and Bedford College, London...