In the article, we will consider who Yanka Kupala was. This is a famous Belarusian poet, who became famous for his work. Consider the biography of this man, dwell in detail on his work, life and career path. Yanka Kupala was a fairly versatile person who tried himself as an editor, playwright, translator and publicist.
Who are you talking about?
To begin with, the hero of our article was engaged in creativity under a pseudonym. His real name is Ivan Dominicovich Lutsevich. This is an outstanding Belarusian cultural figure, who is considered to be a representative of the classical trend in literature. He is a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree, as well as a national poet and academician.
Childhood
It will be logical to consider the biography of Yanka Kupala from his childhood. A man was born in the summer of 1882 in a small town in Belarus. The family was Catholic, very religious. Ivan's parents were poor noblemen who rented land for growing grain and vegetables. However, the clan of the Lutsevichs stretches from the XVIII century.
Despite this, the boy’s childhood passed in constant difficulties. He helped his father with household chores. Regularly had to work hard to find means of living. Despite the fact that the family was of gentry origin, she lived modestly and poorly. In 1902, his father died, and the guy had to get a job as a teacher. The care of the whole family fell on his young shoulders, and he steadfastly carried this burden. He also tried himself as a clerk, clerk, etc. He often had to change jobs in search of a higher salary, so he tried everything he could. He grabbed at any chance of work, did not shy of labor.
There was a period when he even had to become an ordinary worker in a winery. There he worked for a long time, despite the fact that hard work took up a lot of free time, and he practically had no time to engage in self-education. However, Janka Kupala tried to devote time to self-development, thanks to which he read all the books from his father’s library, which was quite rich. In 1898, the hero of our article graduated from the National School.
Youth
In 1908 he moved to Vilnius, where he arranged to work for the editorial office of a Belarusian newspaper. There, he meets a beautiful girl, Vladislava Stankevich, who in the future will be called his wife. However, there he meets actress Pavlina Myadelka. For some time he was very interested in her, and even in honor of the girl he named the main heroine of his play. But this quick and fleeting hobby passed, and relations with Vladislav later ensued.
Around this period of his life, a man writes a poem that will glorify him and will be one of the most famous. He composes a verse entitled “Who is going there?”. It is interesting that initially the man wanted to call the verse “Belarusians”. The poem was translated into Russian by Maxim Gorky, who called it severe, but beautiful. It was Gorky who spoke out that this poem will be the national anthem of Belarus. And so it really happened.
After that, Yanka Kupala wrote poetry even more actively. He creatively developed and was at the peak of inspiration. His creations were translated by various poets, writers and translators. Based on his poem, they even wrote the National Anthem of Udmurtia.
Self improvement
In 1909, a young man begins to attend general education courses of A. Chernyaev in St. Petersburg. After that, in 1915, he studied at Moscow People's University. The educational institution was founded due to the influence of a rather famous philanthropist Alfons Shanyavsky and his family.
Unfortunately, the hero of our article could not finish his studies, because the mobilization related to the First World War began. In 1916, the poet was drafted into the army, and he boldly goes towards fate. He was assigned to the road construction department, where he was until the beginning of the October Revolution. At this time, the poet lived in Smolensk and worked.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, he learned about the revolution. From 1916 to 1918 he did not write a single verse. Later in his work, he addressed the issues of the existence of man and a whole nation at historical turning points. To understand how Janka saw this period, it is necessary to refer to his poems dated 1919: “For the Fatherland”, “Inheritance”, “Time”, “To His People”.
When the revolution ended, the man decided to settle in Minsk. It must be said that the Soviet-Polish war did not change his way of life. He steadily survived the Polish occupation and did not leave his beloved city.
Publications
Poems by Yanka Kupala in Polish were actively published in magazines and newspapers. The first poem, which he wrote in Belarusian, was called "My share." It is believed that it was written in the summer of 1904. The poet’s debut is considered the verse “Man”, which was published in 1905. It was with him that the active growth of a man as a poet began. For the early creative years of the Yankees, folklore themes are characteristic.
In 1907, he began an active collaboration with the newspaper Nasha Niva. He writes several poems, the main theme of which is the oppression of the peasants and social inequality.
Creation
For two years, from 1911 to 1913, Yanka lived with his sisters and mother in a family estate. It was here that he wrote about 80 verses, several plays and poems. By the way, today only the foundation, a small arbor and an old well remain from this estate.
In 1912, Kupala wrote his first comedy play. Soon she will be left on stage in St. Petersburg, then she appears in the theaters of Vilnius. Until 1919, he wrote several more poems, which the audience enthusiastically accepts.
Soviet time
The poet Yanka Kupala was a freedom-loving and free man who followed the call of his heart. His work changed after the Soviet Epoch began.
At this time, in his work, thoughts about a bright future come to the fore. The poet sincerely believed that the Belarusian people would heal better, and the Soviet government will be able to carry out radical changes and improve people's living standards.
Almost before the Great Patriotic War, he constantly wrote about a bright future. During this period, he released several collections, namely, “From the Heart,” “Song to Construction,” “Inheritance,” “Tarasova Stake,” etc.
The most interesting thing is that relations with representatives of the Soviet government did not develop very smoothly with the poet. This is very strange, given that he supported the regime in his work.
The period from 1920 to 1930. was very difficult for the poet. He was accused of unreliability, and newspapers and magazines began quite severe persecution. He, as the main accusation, was presented with a nationalistic attitude. It was said that in a difficult historical period, he supported the movement of national liberation of Belarus, and even was part of.
He was interrogated for a long time and painfully by the GPU, which eventually even led to an attempt to commit suicide. In personal letters, he wrote that apparently poets and writers have such a share - to be misunderstood and slandered. However, in order to get rid of the persecution and avoid various problems, he wrote an open letter. He was forced to do this by poor health. Ivan needed peace, not constant torture and interrogation. In the letter, the man confessed to all his allegedly committed sins and publicly promised that he would no longer make such mistakes.
Nevertheless, the verses of Yanka Kupala are a real hymn that affirms the rights of people and nations to their originality and development path.
Awards
The man was awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree, which he received in 1941 for a collection entitled "From the Heart." In the winter of 1939 he received the Order of Lenin.
Creativity of Yanka Kupala during World War II
When hostilities began, many turned to the poet's inspiring poems. He could in a word bring people back motivation and encourage them to fight, fight. Therefore, Kupala did not interrupt his creative activity and actively wrote patriotic poems. Interestingly, they had a pronounced anti-fascist orientation.
The poet was forced to leave Minsk and settle in Pechishchi. This is a small village, which is located near Kazan. He tried to distance himself from everything that was happening in order to focus on his work. As you know, the author’s poetic talent was formed on the basis of classical traditions and Belarusian literature of the late 19th century. Thanks to this, he was able to organically combine patriotic and folk motives that charged people with energy and allowed them to look to the future with hope and confidence.
Translator
In addition to the fact that Janka Kupala wrote his own works, he was actively engaged in translations. So, it was he who translated the "Word of Igor's Campaign" into the Belarusian language in 1919. Note that this was the first literary translation of this work. He also translated poems by Alexander Pushkin, Taras Shevchenko, Nikolai Nekrasov, Ivan Krylov, Maria Konopnitskaya, etc.
Interesting fact
Janka Kupala translated the International. This is the international anthem of the proletarians. For the sake of justice, it should be noted that the works of the author himself were also translated into many languages. His collections were even translated into Yiddish.
A family
The man was married to Vladislav Lutsevich. There were no children in the marriage, but the couple lived a long and happy life. The poet still had a sister, Leocadia Romanovskaya.
Almost nothing is known about the man’s personal life, because during his life he tried not to talk about her. The wife also avoided public statements and interviews.
It is interesting that in one of her rare public speeches, she said that at the first meeting the future husband did not make any impression on her. The Yanka Kupala family consisted of his wife, sister and parents. It is still not known exactly why there were no children in the pair. Whether the spouses did not want to, or maybe for other reasons.
Death
The cause of death of Yanka Kupala is still a rather vague question.
So, to begin with, in June 1942, the poet stayed at the Moscow Hotel. It was there that he completely unexpectedly died. Initially, it was assumed that he was intoxicated, because of this he fell down the stairs. But this is a completely unfounded version for the simple reason that the man never drank and had serious contraindications regarding alcohol.
It is also suspicious that just a few hours before his mysterious death, he was very cheerful, joyful and full of hope. He talked with friends, treated them and in every possible way called for his future anniversary. That is why the news of the death shocked everyone who knew him. No one believed that he really could stumble on the stairs between the ninth and tenth floors. However, death came instantly.
To date, almost no one believes in the official version of the death of the poet. There are still rumors that he died not by accident. There were versions related to suicide or murder. However, the first option is unlikely, because that period of the man’s life was quite interesting and eventful, and he had no reason to commit suicide. He experienced much worse times.
There is a version according to which a man was seen in the company of a woman shortly before his death. It is claimed that it was the same Peacock Meadelka - a hobby of youth.
Initially, the poet was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery in the capital of Russia. However, today the grave of Yanka Kupala is in Minsk at a military cemetery. The poet's ashes were moved there in 1962. Next to him lies his mother, who died the day after her son passed away. She did not know about his tragic death, and died in occupied Minsk. A large beautiful memorial was erected over the grave of the poet.
Memory
The poet was immortalized in history. In 1982, a biographical book was published about him from the series “The Life of Wonderful People”. In honor of the poet named a large number of streets and towns, as well as various organizations in Belarus.
In Minsk, the following were named in his honor: National Academic Theater, city library, metro station, park, literature institute. In many cities of Belarus there are streets named in his honor, they are also in Russia, Ukraine. In the Israeli city of Ashdod, there is Yanka Kupala Square, which was renamed in his honor in 2012. In Poland there are also streets named after the poet. In 2003, a complete collection of the author’s works was published, which was released in 9 volumes.
The Yanka Kupala Literary Museum operates in Minsk, which was opened in 1945. There are branches of this museum on the Akopa farm. A small museum dedicated to the work and life of the poet is in the village of Pechishchi.
Monuments
Monuments to an outstanding poet were erected in Minsk, Moscow, in the native village of Vyazynka. Also, the monument was erected in Grodno and Araipark (USA).
In 1992, the Russian Bank issued a 1-ruble copper-nickel coin dedicated to the 110th birthday of the poet. In 2002, the National Belarusian Bank issued a 1-ruble copper-nickel coin dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the great tamers of literature. In honor of the man, a musical and theatrical opera belonging to the hand of Andrei Skorkin was also written.
The poet’s work and his biography have been filmed more than once. So, he was mentioned in certain films in 1952, 1971, 1972, 1981. In 2007, the musical Pavlinka, directed by Alexander Butor, was released.
Interestingly, the group Lyapis Trubetskoy has two songs written on poems by Yanka Kupala.
Summing up, we note that the man was a wonderful poet and a brave man who was not afraid to follow his dream against all odds. He had to deal with oppression and humiliation more than once, but he persistently defended the rights of the people.
He did not go ahead, knew how to keep silent on time, but nonetheless never abandoned his fundamental ideas and thoughts. He considered it his duty to support the people and revive their fighting spirit. For this he was loved not only in Belarus, but throughout the world.
It is unbelievable that the memory of Yanka Kupala is still in different parts of the world. He made a huge contribution not only to Belarusian, but also to world literature, which cannot be overestimated. Unfortunately, this prominent man died at the age of 60. Perhaps he would have written a large number of poems and poems that delighted and delighted the public. We can only cherish the memory of the poet and popularize his work among young people.