An exhibition "Jan Barshcheuski, who Loved God, Nature and People" is on show at the Book Museum of the National Library of Belarus from July 22. Authentic first-hand accounts of the famous writer, one of the founders of the new Belarusian literature, will be presented together for the first time.
You will see the recently found tombstone of Jan Barshcheuski for the first time in Minsk. It has become a real sensation in the national literary criticism and allowed to discover little-known pages of his biography. Alongside this, the exhibition features the most valuable artifacts from the collections of the National Library of Belarus, including lifetime editions of his works: collections "Nobleman Zavalnia, or Belarus in Fantastic Stories" (1844-1846), the almanac "Forget-Me-Not" (1840–1844) and other publications.
Despite the great interest in the personality and work of the writer in Belarus, they still remain insufficiently studied due to the lack of reliable sources. When the tombstone of Jan Barshcheuski was found a few years ago in the city of Chudniv (Zhytomyr region, Ukraine), it spiked the interest on the part of researchers and all those interested in our past. You can read the following epitaph on the tombstone: "Jan Barshcheuski, who loved God, nature and people" The writer of inspiration and emotion. He lived with dignity for 70 years. He died on February 28, 1851."
This year, with the support of the Maria Magdalena Radziwill Swiss Foundation and the Rasony District Executive Committee, the 35-kilogram tombstone was delivered to Belarus and exhibited in the museums of the Viciebsk Region, the writer's native land: in Rasony, Polack and Viciebsk, and now got to Minsk for a brief time. Here it can be seen in our Museum together with well-known, but rare editions of the writer.
The exhibition will only last one week from July 22 to 29. After that, the valuable tombstone will return to its place of origin, and rare editions – to the collections of the National Library. Do not miss the unique opportunity to see real rarities that have preserved the memory and glory of our famous compatriot and writer.
The opening of the exhibition took place on July 22 at 16.00 in the Book Museum (room 347).
The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the working hours of the Book Museum.
Admission is by the library card or by the Social and Cultural Centre ticket.
For more info: (+375 17) 293 25 85.
Bibliology Research Department
