Description

Uładzimir Niaklajeu (born 1946) is a Belarusian poet and one of the most prominent representatives of the traditional movement in the poetry of the Belarusian Renaissance. He has always maintained an active public stance and served as the head of the Belarusian PEN Center. In 2010, he ran in the presidential election, during which he was beaten and detained. As a result of political repression, he spent many years in exile. In 2021–2022, he lived in Krakow as a fellow of the Villa Decius Institute of Culture within the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN).

The collection of selected works titled “Sam” (Alone) defines Niaklajeu’s creative journey. The book includes poems written over the last fifty years, as well as Uładzimir Niaklajeu’s “Final Statement of the Accused” before the court in Minsk on May 18, 2011 — a testimony of innocence and a response to the charges brought against the author by the Lukashenko regime.

“The title word ‘sam’ refers to the poem, the entire book, and the overarching idea that marks and organizes Niaklajeu’s poetic legacy. Through this keyword, the poet approaches the philosophy of existentialism, which asserts that the pursuit of truth and the desire for freedom condemn a person to spiritual loneliness, misunderstanding, alienation, and exile,” — Alaksandr Raspapou.