Belarus’ legacy: Ivan Melezh

Ivan Melezh, one of the most prominent Belarusian writers of the 20th century, is the author of many talented works, including novels, short stories, plays, diaries and articles. But perhaps his main work is the trilogy Polesye Chronicle about the Belarusian Polesye and its inhabitants admired by generations of readers.  Ivan Melezh’s novels People of the Marsh, The Storm's Breath and Snowstorm have been translated into Russian, Kazakh, German, Chinese and other languages.

He was born in the small village of Glinishche in Gomel Polesye, the region of vast marshes where for centuries people’s life was hard and dangerous but interesting in its own way. Unique nature, contradictory history, lifestyle and temper of Polesye residents were an inspiration for the writer during his whole life.

Ivan Melezh wrote his first major works during the Great Patriotic War. At the front, he saw all the horrors and pain of the war. In the summer of 1942 he was seriously wounded and nearly lost his right arm. But it seemed that the surgeon who operated on Ivan Melezh foresaw that the talented writer would need it.

Having become a popular writer, Ivan Melezh had to deal with misunderstanding and censorship. He had to cross out the “unwanted” pieces and restore the original versions of his books. He had to wait long for his books to be published. But still he would continue writing. In 1956, he started working on his novel People of the Marsh, the first book of the trilogy Polesye Chronicle published in 1961. In five years, Ivan Melezh completed The Storm’s Breath, and started the third novel Snowstorm in December which took him ten years to finish. He had plans to write another two books. However, with the writer’s death at the age of 55, the plans were never carried out.

In 1980, Ivan Melezh’s Polesye Chronicle gained even more popularity thanks to a screen adaptation of the work by Belarusian director Viktor Turov. The film starred an exceptional cast and vividly depicted the life in the Belarusian Polesye. The feature-length films and a TV series were watched by millions of people.

Today people continue reading and studying Ivan Melezh’s works. They find new meanings and shades in his texts. Streets in Minsk, Khoiniki, and other Belarusian cities and towns, the school in the writer’s native village, a school and a library in Gomel, and the drama theater in Mozyr bear the name of the People’s Writer of Belarus. For many years, tourists from different countries have been coming to visit the writer’s museum house in Glinishche, and a sculpture depicting the characters from People of the Marsh in Khoiniki. Ivan Melezh Literary Award for young writers was established back in 1980.

In February 2016, Ivan Melezh would have turned 95. The anniversary is celebrated in different parts of the country with literature evenings and meetings. It is one of the landmark anniversaries celebrated as part of the Year of Culture in Belarus.

Archive photos of Ivan Melezh, a photo tour of his native village, and photos featuring the brightest events held as part of the celebration of Ivan Melezh’s anniversary are in our photo gallery.