About the event

Book launch: Alhierd Bacharevich, “Przeszukanie w muzeum” (translated from Belarusian by Bohdan Zadura). The event will feature: Alhierd Bacharevich – author, Bohdan Zadura – translator, Bogumiła Berdychowska – moderator.

About the book “Przeszukanie w muzeum”

“Przeszukanie w muzeum” (pl. search at the museum) is a collection of short stories connected by a common theme: the mass protests in Belarus. It is not, however, a documentary book, but rather an attempt to tell the story of the suppressed Belarusian revolution by placing the events within a mythological dimension and employing artistic narrative techniques. The protagonists of the book include agents of repression and judges, censors and protesters, accidental participants and prisoners, emigrants, as well as those who have “turned the page”. The book was written on the basis of the author’s personal experiences; together with his wife, Julia Cimafiejewa, he participated in the events of 2020.

This book was published as part of the Literary Eastern Express project, implemented with the support of the European Union under the Creative Europe programme.

About the participants

Alhierd Bacharevich (born in 1975 in Minsk) – a renowned Belarusian writer. Author of numerous novels, collections of short stories and essays, as well as a book of poetry. Two of his novels – “Psy Europy” and “Ostatnia książka pana A.” – have been declared extremist materials and banned in Belarus; in practice, most of his work remains subject to censorship there. His works have been adapted into performances by the Belarus Free Theatre and the independent group Kupałowcy. His books have been published in translation, among others, in Germany, the United States, Sweden, Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia. In Poland, his works include the short story collection “Talent do jąkania się” (2008), the collection of essays “Mały leksykon medyczny według Bacharewicza” (2017), and the novel “Sroka na szubienicy” (2021). Winner of the respected Belarusian literary award Gliniany Weles (2002). In 2006, he won a poll by the portal Nowa Europa for the best Belarusian writer. Four-time winner of the Jerzy Giedroyc Literary Prize (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016). For his opus magnum, the novel “Psy Europy”, published in German translation (2024), he received the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding (2025). He has lived in exile since the end of 2020. He currently resides in Berlin.

Bohdan Zadura (born in 1945 in Puławy) – poet, prose writer, literary critic, and translator. He graduated in philosophy from the University of Warsaw. He made his debut in 1962 in the monthly magazine “Kamena”. Between 1970 and 1977, he worked at a museum in Kazimierz Dolny; from 1977 to 1987, he was literary director of the Lublin Theatre of Vision and Movement; from 1980 to 2004, he was editor of the literary quarterly “Akcent”; from 1983 to 2004, editor of the literary monthly “Twórczość”, and from 2004 to 2020, its editor-in-chief. Co-founder and vice-president of the board of the Eastern Cultural Foundation “Akcent”. He translated from English, Russian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian, including works by Yurii Andrukhovych, Andriy Bondar, Andriy Lyubka, and Vasyl Slapchuk. Recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Stanisław Piętak Prize (1994), the Józef Czechowicz Prize (2010), the Silesius Wrocław Poetry Award (2011), the Hryhorii Skovoroda International Literary Prize (2014), the C.K. Norwid Prize (2015), the Artistic Award of the City of Lublin (2018), and the Drahomán Prize (2022). Named Ambassador of the East (2023). In 2025, he was a finalist for the Ossolineum Prize for the best poetic translation of “Autoportret w postaci pestki awokado” by Julia Cimafiejewa.

Bogumiła Berdychowska – Polish essayist and journalist specializing in the history of Ukraine and Polish-Ukrainian relations. Author of publications in, among others, “Tygodnik Powszechny” and “Więź”. She collaborates or has collaborated with the Centre for Political Thought, the Stefan Batory Foundation, and the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe. She serves as secretary of the Polish-Ukrainian Forum and head of the scholarship programmes department at the National Centre for Culture Poland.

Details

When: July 2, Thursday, 17.30-18.30
Where: Workshops of Culture, Grodzka 7 – patio
Admission free