Today, November 20, is the 70th anniversary of Eugenia Yanishchyts (1948–1988), the Belarusian poetess, laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize of Belarus (1978) and the State Prize of Belarus named after Yanka Kupala (1986).
She was born in the village of Rudka, Pinsk district, Brest region, in a peasant family. Having graduated from the Department of the Belarusian Language and Literature, Belarusian State University (BSU), Eugenia Yanishchyts worked as head of the Central Committee of Komsomol Library. She lived for some time in Czechoslovakia, then returned to her homeland, engaged in creative work. Since 1976, she had been a literary consultant at Rural Newspaper, and in 1983 headed the department of poetry in Youth magazine. She was also engaged in social activities and participated as a delegate in the XXXVI session of the UN General Assembly (1981).
Eugenia Yanishchyts first appeared in print when she was a pupil at high school in Porechye. Her verses were published in Pinsk district newspaper under pen names J. Zametkina and E. Iosifava. The poetess was noticed and appreciated by critics and readers in the mid-60's. During high school and admission to study at the university, she had publications in national periodicals.
The first collection of poems, Snow Candlemas (1970), appeared when she was in her fifth year of BSU. The book was warmly welcomed by readers, and the author was many written about. Many images of her collection really carried the original freshness of youthful admiration for life, love for the homeland and people, openness to the world of hopes and aspirations.
The poetess quickly gained a certain fame, and her works were published not only in Belarusian newspapers, magazines and collections, but also in Ukraine, Russia and abroad.
The next collection, The Evening Day, was released in 1974, and in 1978 was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize of Belarus. The book expands perspectives, enriched with experience, and discloses new quality of lyrics. The images of the native land are supplemented with new realities: the comprehension of the Motherland, Polesie landscapes, meetings with dear people and the feeling of motherhood.
The third collection of poems, Yaselda (1978), was a milestone. The poetess had markedly enhanced the attention to severities of life, and her world view become more complicated. Still delicate and extremely thin in the transmission of intimate feelings in all its contradictions and lively mobility, her love lyrics carry more sorrows than ever before.
Eugenia Yanishchyts reached her matured skill in books On the Shoulder Banks (1980), It's Time to Love and Pity (1983), and Winter Snowball Tree (1987), which was awarded the State Prize of Belarus named after Yanka Kupala in 1986. The poetess’ thinking is a philosophical meditation on time and space, instant and eternity, life and death. The state of her soul manifests itself through the relationship of emotional categories like love and pain, happiness and despair, joy and sorrow, light and darkness. In many verses, she analyzes life path, emphasizing an unequal and not very affectionate female fate and happiness.
Eugenia Yanishchyts wrote prose as well. She is the author of short stories, realistic and true in texture (Potato Basket, Heart, I Feel Sorry for All and others). The poetess fruitfully worked in the field of literary translation, recreating the works of Russian and Ukrainian poets. Her articles about poetry, reviews of poetry books and critical essays appeared in print.
Her last lifetime book, With the Sound of Light Rye (1988), includes the best of the writing for twenty years. After this book, the works of Eugenia Yanishchyts come to the reader in the form of poetic legacy. In 2000, a book of selected poetry was published, and It Begins With Love ..., a collection including the best of the poetess’ writing, appeared in 2008.
You can find more information in the factual database "Belarus in Persons and Events".
