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Former presidential candidate Uladzimir Nyaklyayew scoops literary award

 

Writer and politician Uladzimir Nyaklyayew won the Jerzy Giedroyc Award for his recently published novel titled Soda Fountains With and Without Syrup.

The 66-year-old former presidential candidate collected the annual award at a ceremony in Hotel Crowne Plaza in Minsk on March 1.

The award, which commemorates Jerzy Giedroyc, a prominent Minsk-born Polish journalist, was instituted by the Polish embassy together with the Polish Institute in Minsk, PEN Belarus and the Union of Belarusian Writers in 2011.

Five more authors had been shortlisted for the prize out of a total of 43 applicants.

Mr. Nyaklyayew received roughly 113 million rubels (€10,000) from Polish-Belarusian Idea Bank and an opportunity to have his novel published by a Polish literary magazine.

In an interview with BelaPAN, Mr. Nyaklyayew said that he would spend the money on publishing books, including by other authors.

The leader of the “Tell the Truth!” opposition movement stressed that active literary activity was key to the survival of the Belarusians as a nation.

“We can survive only if we break through to Europe, the world with something of our own,” he said. “Of course, it can be only culture, above all literature as it is the basis of our entire culture. What is happening in our country today is horrible, I will fight that not only in politics but also in culture.” // BelaPAN