Barys SACHANKA, a prose writer, was born in May 5, 1936 into a workman's family in Vialiky Bor, a village in the Homel region. He was almost six when WWII started, during which the Nazis burned his village, killing 128 inhabitants and taking the rest to Germany. Together with his parents he worked there on a farm, not returning home until 1945. In 1960 he graduated from the philological department of the Belarusian State University. In the meantime he wrote for the magazine Polymia and had his first story published in 1956. From then on he worked for various literary magazines and newspapers (he was the first to read and edit Melezh's Palesse Chronicle) and for the Belarusian Encyclopaedia.

Sachanka is famous for his stories The Road Went Through the Forest, The Colours of Early Spring, Bachelor, Memory, Strange Sky, The She-Wolf from the Devil's Hole, and the novel The Great Forest. He also translated books by Russian, Ukrainian and Serbian authors into Belarusian. Sachanka wrote a lot about his native places near Homel. He was one of the first in Belarusian literature to write about villages being burnt during WWII. He also authored many travelling sketches and published various works of Kupala, Kolas, Svaiak, Heniush, et al., that had been banned by Soviet censors.

He was awarded two 'Sign of Honour' Orders, 'For Valiant Work' Jubilee medal, 'Frantsishak Skaryna' medal, two Honorary Addresses and a Honorary Address of the Supreme Council of Belarus. He was a Laureate of Yakub Kolas Belarusian National Prize (1978) and Melezh Literary Prize (1991) and also given the title of 'Honorary Worker of Culture of Belarus'(1983).

Ryhor SEMASHKEVICH, a poet, prose writer and literary critic, was born into a peasant family on September 12, 1945, in the Minsk region, Belarus. In 1966 he graduated from the Belarusian State University. He worked as a Principal of a village school. In 1967-1969 he studied for his PhD in literature at the BSU. From 1970 he lectured in Belarusian literature at the BSU.

His first verses were published in 1961. He authored two books of poetry, and several long short stories, as well as two large scientific works on Belarusian literature and the literary ties of Belarus and her neighbouring countries. His verses give wonderful portraits of common people and are lyrical and humorous. He is mostly known for his prose that showed the best in Belarusian national character and combined the richness of Belarus history with a depiction of her present life. He has often portrayed unique characters, and used humour and grotesque.

Anatol SERBANTOVICH, a poet, was born May 13, 1941, in the Mahilou region, Belarus, into the family of a teacher. In 1965 he graduated from Belarusian State University (majoring in journalism). He worked for a two large children's literary periodicals, a newspaper and a magazine. Due to a childhood trauma to his head he died young. He wrote much and would compose up to four verses a night, in spite of his doctor's advice.

His first verses were published in 1959. He authored three books of poetry. In his verses he took an active social role, writing about society, life and its problems. He wrote for children, and also some pieces of prose. In the mid 1960s he started writing long poems which showed a new level of his talent. The summer of 1969, where he spent time in the Far East of Russia, turned out to be the most fruitful period in his work. Unfortunately, many plans were left unfinished due to his early death.

Sofya SHAKH, a poet, was born into a family of blue-collar workers on November 29, 1947, in the Homel area. She graduated from Mazyr Pedagogical Institute (1969), with a major in elementary education. She then worked as an elementary school teacher for various schools in the Homel region. In 1980 she graduated from a correspondence course in speech therapy at Minsk Pedagogical Institute and has been working as a speech therapist at a special school in Svetlahorsk.

Shakh started writing in 1983 and is noted for her 136 collections of sonnets.

Ivan SHAMIAKIN, a prose writer, playwright and political figure, was born into a peasant family in the village of Karma, Homel region, in 1921. In 1940 he finished his studies at a technical school of building materials in Homel. During WWII he fought in the ranks of the Soviet Army against the Nazis. After the war he taught at a village school and completed a correspondence course at a teacher-training college in Homel. In 1963, as a delegate from Belarus, he took part in the work of the 18th Session of the United Nations' General Assembly. For many years he was one of the leaders of the Belarusian Writers' Union. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, and from 1980 till 1992 he worked as editor-in-chief for the Belarusian State Encyclopaedia.

He started to write before WWII and his first works were published in 1945. After that he wrote many short stories, novellas and the novels The Blue Current, A Heart in Your Palm, Snowy Winters and Atlantes and Caryatids, to name only a few. Shamiakin was one of the founders of the new main topics of Belarusian post-war prose, depicting in his works the true story of a Belarusian village during the social upheavals of the 20th century.

He was awarded numerous orders both for his actions in the army and his literary work, given the title of the 'People's Writer of Belarus' (1972), 'Academician of Academy of Sciences of Belarus' (1994) and 'Hero of Socialist Work' (1981). He was also a National Literary Prize winner (1951), a holder of the Yakub Kolas Literary Prize (1957, 1967) and the Belarusian National Prize (1982).

Yanka SIPAKOU, a poet and a prose writer, and translator, was born into a peasant family on January 15, 1936, in the Vitsebsk region. He lost his parents at an early age - they were killed by the Nazis because of their involvement in the resistance movement during World War II. He was then raised by his father's sister. Sipakou studied at a local school and also worked as a post man. After school he worked for awhile for a local newspaper. In 1960 he graduated from Belarusian State University with a major in journalism. He has worked on several large Belarusian literary journals. Since 1993 he has been in charge of Belarusian Encyclopaedia Publishers. Several times he has been chosen as a member of Board to the Union of Belarusian Writers.

His fist verses were published in 1953 in a local newspaper and he has authored several books of poetry and of prose. He uses traditional and folklore verse together with new forms. In his Vecha of Slavic Ballads he showed the Slavs as part of universal history. His ballads widened the genres and themes of modern Belarusian poetry and influenced many authors. Sipakou translated into Belarusian W. Whitman's Leaves of Grass (1978) and various classics of the Russian, Lithuanian, Adjarian and other literatures. He has authored several books of prose and one of his works served as the basis for a TV film.

He was awarded with a medal, the Honorary Address of the Supreme Council of Belarus and also the Kupala State Prize for his book of poetry Vecha of Slavic Ballads (1976).

Yan SKRYHAN, a prose writer and poet, was born in 1905, into a peasant family, in the village of Trukhanovichi, Minsk region. After a brief period of study at the Agricultural Training School in Slutsk he left to take up work in the field of journalism. From 1928 to 1932 he studied literature and linguistics at the education department of the Belarusian State University. During the period that followed he worked for various newspapers, journals and publishing houses, including the central publishing house in Minsk, the journal Polymya, and the Byelorussian Soviet Encyclopedia. He was also an active member of Maladniak literary association. After graduation he worked on a weekly basis for Litaratura i Mastatsva (1932-1936), till his sudden arrest in 1936 when, on a false pretence, he was found guilty and sent to Siberia. He was eventually released, upon which he moved Estonia - the closest place to Belarus that he could live in (he was forbidden to return back to his country). In December 1954 all the charges were dropped and he was allowed to come back to Belarus, which he did. Upon his coming back to Minsk he worked for various literary periodicals and the Belarusian Encyclopaedia.

His first volume of verses was published in 1924. Later he gained popularity as a prose writer with his literary sketches, short stories and novellas, including Encounters, Natallia, The Unbidden Tears, Say One Word, and others. He also published collections of literary notes, portraits and reminiscences, and translated into Belarusian the Russian classics Maxim Gorky, Ivan Bunin, and Nikolai Ostrovsky.

He was awarded four Honorary Addresses of the Supreme Council of Belarus, an Honorary Address of the Supreme Council of Tuvin Republic, medals, and the National Literary Prize of the Belarus (1976).

Mikhas STRALTSOU, a prose writer, poet, translator and literary critic, was born in February 2, 1937 in the village of Sychyn in the Mahilou region, and was the son of a teacher. He graduated from the faculty of philology at the Belarusian State University and began to work as a journalist, writing for the newspaper Litaratura i Mastatstva and for the magazines Polymia and Maladost. From 1968 he worked as a full-time writer.

Straltsou started writing when at school, with his first short story being published in 1957. He published several collections of stories, including Blue Evening, Hay on the Road, a novella entitled One Bast Shoe, One Cord Shoe, two anthologies of verse, The Juniper Tree and The Shadow of the Oar, and numerous articles of literary criticism, essays and sketches. Straltsou is also well-known for his translations of poetry by Russian, Ukrainian, Italian and Latin American poets into Belarusian. His stories are original both in their contents and form, combining both the prosaic and poetic moments of life.

He was awarded Honorary Address of the Supreme Council of Belarus and Yanka Kupala National Prize (1988, posthumously).

Mikola SURNACHOU, a poet, was born in 1917 in the Homel region, Belarus, into a peasant family. From 1937-1939 he studied at the Homel Pedagogical Institute (majoring in literature). He worked at the large national newspapers (1940-1941). In 1941 he began fighting to defend the Caucasus, to liberate Belarus and to liberate Poland. He died April 20, 1945 near Berlin.

His first verses were published in 1933. He authored two books of poetry and had several collections of his verses published in two poetical anthologies. His pre-war poetry has very rich imagery, clear plots and folklore motives. One of his verses became really popular, even in Russian literature. He wrote many verses whilst at the front lines of the war.

He was awarded Red Banner Order and medals. Several of Homel region's towns display his commemorative plaques. He was awarded the Memorial Medal at the USSR Literary Competition in 1967.

83. Yuras SVIRKA, a poet, was born May 6, 1933, in the Vitsebsk region. He was the youngest child of a peasant family with 8 children. In 1959 he graduated from the Belarusian State University majoring in journalism. He worked in major literary journals and newspapers, as well as for Belarusian radio.

His first verses were published in 1952. He has authored several books of poetry in which he writes of nature, the life and work of people and the heroic and courageous deeds of people during World War II (he was deeply moved by pictures he saw of prisoners of war behind barbed wire). He translated from Russian classics, as well as from Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Moldavian, Georgian, Uzbek and Chuvash poets. Several of his verses were set to music.

Svirka was awarded the Kuliashou Literary Prize for his book of poetry Mutual Feeling (1993).

Anatol SYS, a poet, was born into a peasant family on October 26, 1959, in Haroushkau village, Homel region. After graduating from a local high school he entered Homel State University (1977-1982) where he studied in the Russian and Belarusian languages and literature department. After that he worked for a newspaper and the in 1985 he moved to Minsk where he used to work as a technician for the Republican Radio Company.

He started to publish his works in a local newspaper whilst he was still at school. The first collection of stories appeared in 1988. Sys as a poet was a very open, emotional and he always strove for perfection. His favourite theme was the individuality of a person. This made him search for original forms in his poetic presentations.