Vasil Bykau was born on June 19
A world-famous classic of the Belarusian literature, a Nobel Prize nominee would have turned 87.
The writer entered the history of the world literature as an author of novels and narrations, dedicated to the Second World war. The author declares ideologic and moral values which survive in the fire of struggle against fascism: devotedness to the eternal human values, love for one's land, dignity of a man - worker and warrior. He wrote such books as "Sotnikau", "The Alpine Ballad", "To Live till Sunrise", "Sign of Misfortune".
Vasil Bykau was one of the inititators of the Belarusian Popular Front. In the middle of 1990s Belarusian authorities started harassing him, and this forced the writer to emigrate abroad for a long time. He spent the last years of his life in Finland and in the Czech Republic. The writer, who was called "conscience of the Nation" sharply reproved increase of totalitarianism in the country.
Vasil Bykau died in 2003 in the oncological hospital in Barauliany.
