Maxim Bogdanovich

Maxim Adamovich Bogdanovich was born on November, 27th (old style) 1891, in Minsk in the family of teacher and ethnographer Adam Egorovich Bogdanovich. The poet’s father was at different times an administrator of a city initial school in Minsk and a teacher in history of culture at art, musical and theatrical technical schools in Yaroslavl. His mother – Maria Afanasevna Myakota – left a female teacher’s grammar school in Petersburg, was interested in literature and even tried to write short stories. In 1892, when Maxim was only six months, the family moved to Grodno, and in 1896, after Maria Afanasevna’s death caused by consumption – to Nizhniy Novgorod.

Maxim Bogdanovich received a thorough home education. His father had a rich library, which was attracting young Maxim Bogdanovich like a magnet. From 1902 to 1907 the young man studied at a man’s grammar school in Nizhniy Novgorod. This period of life was extremely important to his becoming as a person and a poet. Maxim got deeply interested in his mother tongue and culture. He learned the Belarusian language by reading I. Nosovich’s dictionary. His godmother – Olga Epifanovna Syomova – subscribed to Belarusian newspapers “Nasha dolya” and “Nasha niva” which exerted a powerful influence on the formation of M. Bogdanovich’s outlook. Every meeting with these editions was expected and joyful for Maxim.

In 1907, there was a significant event in young M. Bogdanovich’s life – his literary debut in the newspaper “Nasha niva”. The first printed work of the 16-year old author became the allegorical story "Music". Since 1908 Maxim had lived in Yaroslavl. There he continued his study at a grammar school where he took a great interest in antique literature and foreign languages in which he kept a life-long interest and which he learned to read original texts. These years became one of the most dramatic in M. Bogdanovich’s destiny: in 1908 his brother Vadim died of hereditary diseases, and after a while, in 1909, the poet himself was taken ill with consumption. In this year in “Nasha niva” appeared his poems “Nad magilay” (“Over a Grave”), “Lyasun” (“Wood-Goblin”), “Khresbiny lyasuna” (“Wood-Goblin’s Christening Party”), “Nad vozeram” (“Over the Lake”), “Kraju moj rodny! Jak vykliyty Bogom…” (“My Native Land is like Cursed by God…”) and others.

The first-time poet’s creativity was noticed and highly appreciated by Y. Kupala, other writers also recognized his talent. Known scientist-philologist, academician A. Shakhmatov suggested him studying the Belarusian language, literature and history at Petersburg University. However, the city with such a crude climate did not suit the poet with sick lungs, therefore Maxim entered Demidovsky Juridical Lyceum in Yaroslavl. This period of study was noted by the exclusively fruitful literary-critical and publicistic activity of the writer. He appeared in Russian and Ukrainian periodicals, published numerous reviews, publicistic articles dedicated to the questions of the history of literature, national and political problems, translations and fiction by his own.

The only lifetime book of the poet – the collection “Vyanok” (“The Wreath”) – was issued in 1913 by Martin Kukhta’s printing house in Vilnius. This edition became the important event in the history of Belarusian literature and brought the author a great success, recognition and glory.

In autumn 1916, the poet arrived in Minsk. He rented the apartment of Z. Byadulya who left many memoirs about him later. Despite the illness M. Bogdanovich continued to live a full life devoting himself to Belarusian affairs and working ardently and it is fruitfully. At this time he wrote the well-known poem “Stratim-lebed’” (“The Swan Stratim”), started to work on a literary reading-book for an elementary school, and wished to publish a number of poetic collections, but these intentions had never been accomplished. At the end of 1916, because of exacerbation, he left Minsk and went to Crimea. Treatment had no effect, and on 25 May, 1917 M. Bogdanovich was gone. The outstanding poet is buried in the city cemetery in Yalta.