What do you think?
Rate this book
Сьцяна
Кніга народнага пісьменьніка Беларусі Васіля Быкава «Сьцяна» складаецца з празаічных твораў апошніх гадоў. Беларуская гісторыя XX стагодзьдзя стаэрыла нямала сытуацыяў, калі характары розных людзей па-рознаму выяўпяліся на мяжы жыцьця і сьмерці. Слуцкае антыбальшавіцкае паўстаньне, Курапаты, другая сусьветная вайна, «хрушчоўская» адліга, перасьлед апанэнтаў з боку КГБ у застойныя часы... Адпаведна рознымі былі й паводзіны міжвольных удзельнікаў гэтай гісторыі, ад якіх, па вялікім рахунку, не залежала нічога. Яны, фатальна абложаныя таталітарнай сыстэмай, маглі толькі захаваць або не захаваць сваю чалавечую годнасьць. Але ніякім чынам яны не маглі паўплываць на свой прадвызначаны статус — ахвяраў чырвонага або брунатнага малоха, які працяў кожнага зь іх наскрозь — іхны розум і іхную кроў. Васіль Быкаў у новай кнізе прозы паказвае, наколькі немагчыма, але наколькі важна на самых фатальных этапах гісторыі захоўваць чалавечнасьць, прыстойнасьць, годнасьць. Псыхалягічныя сытуацыі ў крыгычных абставінах становяцца напружанымі сюжэгамі, а дакладныя характарыстыкі самых розных чалавечых тыпау змушаюць чытача ўвесь час адчуваць сваю прысутнасьць сярод быкаўскіх пэрсанажаў і рабіць уласны маральны выбар. Кніга «Сьцяна» рыхтавалася да выхаду ў дзяржаўным выдавецгве «Мастацкая літаратура», але сёньняшні палітычны рэжым спыніў гэтую працу. Пасьля неаднаразовых прапановаў нашых чытачоў і з ласкавае згоды аўтара кніга «Сьцяна» выходзіць у незалежным выдавецтве «Наша Ніва».
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
11 people want to read
About the author
Vasil Bykaŭ
82 books47 followersVasiĺ Bykaŭ was born in the village Byčki, not far from Viciebsk in 1924. In 1941 he was in Ukraine when Germany attacked the USSR. At first seventeen-year-old Bykaŭ dug trenches – then he volunteered for the Red Army. For years after the war he continued to serve, returning to the USSR only in the mid-1950s. There he started to work as a journalist for the Hrodna Pravda newspaper. In that same decade his first novellas began to come out, of which the most famous are "Sotnikaŭ", "The Obelisk", "To Go and Not Return", and "To Live Till Sunrise". During and after the Perestroika, he participated in pro-reform movement (e.g. Popular Front of Belarus). In October 1993, he signed the Letter of Forty-Two.
Bykaŭ's literary achievement lies in his sternly realistic, albeit touched by lyricism, depictions of World War II battles, typically with a small number of personages. In the ferociousness of encounter they face moral dilemmas both vis-a-vis their enemies and within their own Soviet world burdened by ideological and political constraints. Bykaŭ's novellas that are available in English translation, such as "The Dead Feel No Pain" (1965), "The Ordeal" (1970), "Wolf Pack" (1975) and "Sign of Misfortune", challenged the official version of the war. This brought upon the writer vicious accusations of "false humanism" from some Red Army generals and the Communist Party press. "Vasil Bykov is a very courageous and uncompromising writer, rather of the Solzhenitsyn stamp," wrote Michael Glenny in Partisan Review in 1972. Bykaŭ was one of the most admired writers in the Soviet Union. In 1980 he was awarded the honorific title of People's Writer of the Belarusian SSR.
Outside of his native country, Vasiĺ Bykaŭ is the most widely read Belarusian writer. During the Soviet period, his works were translated into most major languages of the world. However, most of the translations were done on the basis of Russian rendering. Bykaŭ wrote all of his works in his native Belarusian language, and translated several of them into Russian by himself. Vasiĺ Bykaŭ's stature in the life of his country remains enormous. An opponent of Alexander Lukashenko's regime and a supporter of the Belarusian People's Front, he lived abroad for several years (first in Finland, then in Germany and the Czech Republic), but returned to his homeland just a month before his death. The memory of his turbulent life and uncompromising stance on the war have only enhanced his reputation at home and abroad ever since.
Belarusian: Васіль Быкаў
Russian: Василь Быков
Bykaŭ's literary achievement lies in his sternly realistic, albeit touched by lyricism, depictions of World War II battles, typically with a small number of personages. In the ferociousness of encounter they face moral dilemmas both vis-a-vis their enemies and within their own Soviet world burdened by ideological and political constraints. Bykaŭ's novellas that are available in English translation, such as "The Dead Feel No Pain" (1965), "The Ordeal" (1970), "Wolf Pack" (1975) and "Sign of Misfortune", challenged the official version of the war. This brought upon the writer vicious accusations of "false humanism" from some Red Army generals and the Communist Party press. "Vasil Bykov is a very courageous and uncompromising writer, rather of the Solzhenitsyn stamp," wrote Michael Glenny in Partisan Review in 1972. Bykaŭ was one of the most admired writers in the Soviet Union. In 1980 he was awarded the honorific title of People's Writer of the Belarusian SSR.
Outside of his native country, Vasiĺ Bykaŭ is the most widely read Belarusian writer. During the Soviet period, his works were translated into most major languages of the world. However, most of the translations were done on the basis of Russian rendering. Bykaŭ wrote all of his works in his native Belarusian language, and translated several of them into Russian by himself. Vasiĺ Bykaŭ's stature in the life of his country remains enormous. An opponent of Alexander Lukashenko's regime and a supporter of the Belarusian People's Front, he lived abroad for several years (first in Finland, then in Germany and the Czech Republic), but returned to his homeland just a month before his death. The memory of his turbulent life and uncompromising stance on the war have only enhanced his reputation at home and abroad ever since.
Belarusian: Васіль Быкаў
Russian: Василь Быков
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
