Vasil Bykau
was born on June 19, 1924 in the village Bychki, Vitebsk region.
He fought in the Army in the Second and Third Ukrainian fronts on
the territory of Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria,
being twice wounded.
For the first time Vasil Bykau's writings were
published in the year 1947, but the official writer's biography
opens with the stories, written in 1951. The topic of his early
stories about soldiers and officers defined the further direction
of his work, dedicated to the events of the Second World War.
The uncompromising nature of Bykau’s novels provoked attacks of
the Soviet criticism, which accused the writer of blackening the
Soviet system of rule.
In the year 1974 Vasil Bykau was awarded the
State Award of the USSR for his novel "Living till dawn"
(1973), in 1980 he was honored a "National Writer of Belarus"
title, while in 1986 was awarded Lenin's award for the "Sign
of trouble".
Vasil Bykau won popularity with the novel “Third
rocket”, written in 1962. In 60ies he also published "The
Alps' ballad", "Dead don’t hurt", in 70-ies "Sotnikov",
"Obelisk", "Living till dawn" and "To
Go and Not to Return".
These writings put Vasil Bykau into one group
with the distinguished military writers of the XX century.
Mid-90ies almost returned the writer back into
Soviet times. Wide defamation campaign, unfurled in state press,
ban and censorship on the issue of new publications and deteriorating
health forced Bykau to leave his homeland. He spent a few years
living abroad.
In December last year Vasil Bykau moved to
Czech Republic. Back then the writer said that "he'd been
long dreaming of settling down in that country, having great respect
for its citizens". The Czech president Vatslav Gavel personally
assisted him in that. A couple of years before that Bykau lived
in Germany and Finland.
Some time ago he was operated in Czech
Republic, having his stomach cancer tumor removed. In Belarus
the writer was on rehabilitation following operation, but still
suffered from heavy consequences and complications. Vasil Bykau's
date and place of burial are still to be determined.
