Circles of Being

A book exhibition “Circles of Being” is on show, timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Belarusian poetess and translator Viera Viarba (1942–2012) in the Belarusian Literature Reading Room (room 205) from January 4 to February 17.

Viera Viarba's poetry is a lyrical confession about time and her generation. The main motifs are a celebration of youth, love, motherhood and a reflection on the history of the homeland and current problems. The poet's work is dreamy, romantically uplifting and not devoid of realistic motifs and images. The "Thirst for Heights" section presents the poetry collections Vochy viasny (The Eyes of the Spring) (1962), Belyja pismy (White Letters) (1967), Pralieska (Scilla) (1968), Vysakosny hod (The Leap Year) (1969), Vybranaje (Selected Works) (1976), Maja malienkaja planeta (My Little Planet) (1982), Jaraslauna (1986), Siniaja Bukhta (Blue Bay) (1975), Alfa (1978), Aposhny Vierasen (The Last September) (1995) and others. Her poem Ruchniki, set to music by Piatrenka, became a popular song in the repertoire of the Piesniary ensemble. Composers I. Barsukou and L. Svierdzel wrote songs to the poetess' lyrics.

A separate section of the exhibition features translations of Viarba from Russian (for instance, Fraerman's "The Wild Dog Dingo"), as well as collections and journals that feature translations from Armenian, Lithuanian, Russian, Uzbek, Ukrainian, Hebrew and other languages. There are also publications on display, with works translated into Russian, Moldovan, Polish, Ukrainian and other languages.

A section on Viera Viarba's life and career is available for fans of the poet's work "To surprise, to seek and to burn".

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by the library card or by the Social and Cultural Centre ticket.

The books presented at the exhibition can be ordered through the electronic catalogue of the National Library of Belarus.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 16.

Special Collections Service Department.