Alena VASILEVICH, a prose writer, was born December 22, 1922 into a peasant family in the village of Lipniki, in the Slutsk region. Her parents died when she was still very young and so she was brought up by her relatives. After school she studied at a Pedagogical college for two years and then continued her studies at a Pedagogical Institute, in their literary department. During WWII she worked as a librarian in a hospital and as military clerk. In 1944, after the liberation of Belarus, Vasilevich was admitted to the Belarusian State University, philological faculty. From 1946 until 1950 she worked at the editorial office of Kurskaya Pravda newspaper in Kursk. She then moved back to Minsk and worked as the head of the cultural department of Rabotnitsa i Sialianka magazine and the head of the publishing companies Mastatskaya Litaratura and Yunatstva. She retired in 1983.

Her first story was published in Belarus magazine in 1947 and was followed by many short stories and novellas including Close Friends, To School Tomorrow, Friends, The Clerk of a Troop Division, One Moment, The Cape of Good Hope and the trilogy Wait, Don't Leave So Soon! She writes mainly for children and youth and her stories have translated into many languages.

Vasilevich is a Belarusian National Literary Prize winner (1976) and an Honoured Worker of Culture (1977).

Kanstantsin VERANITSYN (first surname Kanstantsin Vasilyeu), was born into the family of serfs of a liberal landlord Bondyrau on June 1, 1834 in Austrauliany village, Vitsebsk region. He was heavily involved in the literary circles of 19th century Belarus and is the possible author of Taras on Parnassus. He was able to enter a school in Haradok which graduated from in 1844. In one year Kanstantsin Vasilyeu (possibly for his academic successes) received freedom, which enabled him to study in Vitsebsk provincial grammar school and in 1851 he was given a status of a citizen of small town Haradok. At this time he chose his own last name - Veranitsyn.

In 1852, as a young man, he entered St Petersburg Medical Surgical Academy where, at the time, there were a lot of liberal students. After two years he was expelled. He returned back to Belarus and, as a member of the Free Economic Society, he was able to enter Hora Horatsky Farming Institute as a third year student. In 1859 he defended a thesis Regarding Belarusian Agriculture and received the title of agronomist (PhD in agronomy). After this he worked as a manager of a manor until he left for St. Petersburg in 1863. In St. Petersburg he served as a clerk in various institutions. 10 years later he returned back home working as a lecturer of geography, natural sciences and history in Maladzechna Teachers Seminary from 1874 till 1879.

In 1880 Veranitsyn permanently settled in St. Petersburg and was leaving it only to visit Belarus. In St. Petersburg he was an official at the Ministry Of Communications. He retired in 1890 and died in 1904.

Taras on Parnassus, which until recently has been considered an anonymous satirical poem, became a classical literary piece. It was widely spread in Belarusian literary circles, being copied by hand across all of Belarus. It portrays the best qualities of Belarusian national character shown in its narrator Taras (tolerance, diligence, humour) with a satirical depiction of literary life in Russia in the 19th century.

Anatol VIALIUHIN, a poet, script writer and translator, was born into the family of a local doctor on December 27, 1923, in the Vitsebsk region of Belarus. From 1939 till 1940 he studied at Minsk Pedagogical Institute, majoring in literature. In 1942 he was summoned to the front. He later studied in Luginsk Pilot School and took part in a famous battle near Stalingrad. In 1943 Vialiuhin was wounded and was in the hospital for a long time. From 1945 he worked for major literary journals, for Belarus TV and for Belarusfilm.

His first verses were published in 1938 and he authored several books of poetry. His works were published in a 2 volume edition in 1973. He wrote scripts for one film, over 40 documentaries about Belarus and translated from Russian, Lithuanian and other languages. Overall he authored over 30 books of poetic translations. He also compiled collections of people's stories about war.

He was awarded the 'Sign of Honour' Order and various medals. He was awarded the title of 'Honorary Worker of Culture of Belarus' (1969) and 'Honorary Addresses of the Supreme Council of Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia'. He was awarded Kupala State Prize - for his long poem A Breeze from Volha (1964), and the State Prize of Belarus for one of his documentary scripts.

Anatol VIARTSINSKI, a poet, journalist, critic, playwright and translator, was born into a peasant family on November 18, 1931, in the Vitebsk region of Belarus. He graduated from the Belarusian State University (1956) with a major in journalism. He has worked for various newspapers and journals (including the major literary ones). In 1962 he moved to Minsk, where he was a consultant at the Union of Writers of Belarus. Viartsinski took an active social role: he was a member of the Board of Writers' Union of Belarus, a member of the Collegium of the Ministry of Culture of Belarus and Presidium of Belarusian Fund of Culture. He was a deputy to the Supreme Council in the 1990s.

His first verses were published in 1951 in the University newspaper. He started publishing his poems in 1954 and has authored various books of poetry. His main themes are the 'inner world' of a person, and all the complexity of the human spiritual world. His goal is striving to reach the ideal, harmony and to understand the sense of life. He also writes plays for children. Viartsinski has translated from Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian poetry as well as some works of Bulgarian and several Cuban modern poets.

He was awarded two Honorary Addresses of the Supreme Council of Belarus, a medal and Lepiashynski's Belarusian State Prize for the book New York Syrene (1988).

94. Vasil VITKA (real name Tsimokh Krysko), a poet, critic and translator, was born into the family of a poor peasant on May 16, 1911, in the Minsk region of Belarus. After graduating from Slutsk Vocational School (1928) he worked as a locksmith at a saw mill, then at the factory's newspaper and later for various local and national newspapers and journals. He took part in the liberation of Western Belarus and took a position as one of the Heads of the Writers Union in Western Belarus, until 1941. From the start of World War II he worked for the largest newspaper and also co-worked for poster newspapers. After the war he continued working for major literary journals.

His fist works were published in 1928 but the first book of poetry appeared in Moscow only in 1944. After that he authored numerous books of poetry, several short stories and plays and children's stories. Vitka wrote many critical reviews and articles on various topics, often on moral issues. He was one of the authors of Native Word - a Literature Textbook of the 1st (1969) and 2nd grades (1970). He translated a bulk of Russian classics into Belarusian as well as many verses from Ukrainian, Latvian, Bulgarian and Polish authors.

For his three children's books he was awarded the Belarus State Prize (1972). In 1978 he was awarded a H.C. Andersen Honorary Diploma, with his name recorded on the list of honour of the renowned Danish fairy tale teller that the award is named after.

He was awarded several orders and medals as well as the title of 'Honorary Worker of Culture of Belarus' (1970).