Paulina Miadelka (1893–1974), activist of Belarusian culture, teacher, honored worker of Belarusian culture, was born on September 24. Today the 125th anniversary of Paulina is celebrated.
The name of Paulina Miadelka, this romantic, unusual and eminent woman is one of the best representatives of our country. She lived a hard life full of interesting events.
P. Myadelka was born in the Budslav village of the Vileika district of the Vilnius province in a peasant family, which moved to the Glubokoe town in 1898. The girl learned to read herself. In 1903 she graduated from the Glubokoe parish school. In 1909 she entered the Vilnius Private Women's Gymnasium. She visited parties, which took place in the "Belarusian Hatka" (cultural and educational club of the Belarusian artistic intelligentsia in Minsk in 1916–1920) and contributed to national identity. There she met cultural and public figures and writers A. Burbis, Tetka, Z. Byadulya, Yadvigin Sh, and others.
In 1914 P. Myadelka graduated from the Higher Commercial Courses in St. Petersburg. She participated in the parties of Belarusian youth held in the apartment of B. Epimah-Shipila, amateur theatrical productions. She was present at interesting meetings with figures of Belarusian culture: Y. Drozdovich, A. Grinevich, S. Kazuro, T. Gartniy, thanks to whom she joined early in cultural and social activities. P. Myadelka worked in editorial offices, looked for paper for printing Belarusian textbooks, wrote poetry.
The formation of her personality was greatly influenced by the work of Y. Kupala and the poet himself, with whom she had sincere friendship. During this period, the writer finished his play "Pavlinka". The premiere was performed by the Belarusian scientific and literary circle of students in St. Petersburg took place on February 9, 1913. The role of Pavlinka performed by is P. Myadelka is considered as her main theatrical success.
After graduation, P. Myadelka left Petersburg and moved to Vilnius. In 1914 she was a participant of the Belarusian Music and Drama Circle. During the First World War, she was evacuated to Russia and Ukraine. She worked as a tutor in a children's shelter, as a responsible secretary in the Belarusian Committee for Assistance to Victims of War, in the Department for Assistance to Victims of War in the Union of Cities to organize orphanages.
In 1917 she organized a Belarusian school in the Zhornovka village of the Igumen district. A year later she moved to Minsk. She worked as a teacher and performed on the stage of the First Association of Belarusian Drama and Comedy. Then there were two arrests by the Polish occupation authorities (the first in Grodno in 1919, the second in Minsk in 1920). In 1922, she taught at the Dvinsk Belarusian Gymnasium, where she was arrested together with other teachers without cause, then justified, but fired.
In 1925, P. Myadelka was sent to Klimovichi, where she gave lectures on the Belarusian language and literature in the courses of teacher training. She worked as a research associate in the art sector in Inbelkulte, taught her native language at the agricultural academy in Gorki.
In 1930, in Moscow, where she came for treatment, she was arrested whithout cause. In March 1931 she was sentenced to five years of exile in Kazan. A year later she was allowed to return to Moscow, where she lived from 1932 to 1947. She worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in high school. After the exile, P. Myadelka's life turned into a struggle for existence: insults, groundless accusations, dismissals from work.
In 1947 she moved to the Budslav village, where she worked as a teacher in a local school till 1958. She organized choral and dramatic circles. She wrote the memoirs "Steszkamy zhytsia" (1974, p. 2, printed in 1993) which included her life experience.
In 1966 P. Myadelka was awarded the title of Honored Worker of Culture of Belarus. The last years of her life passed in her native village, where she died and was buried.
Different periods and aspects of the extremely eventful and meeting life of P. Myadelkа continue to inspire scientists and writers to study and rethink them. Her personal fund is preserved and consists of valuable archival documents–the manuscript "Steszkamy zhytstsya", memoirs, correspondence with relatives and acquaintances, interesting bibliographic materials, photographs with donations from well-known persons of Belarusian history.
You can find more information in the factual database "Belarus in Persons and Events".
