A Book About Zianon Pazniak Has Been Published. It Was Over 10 Years in the Making
On November 14, at the "Pradmova" festival of intellectual books in Warsaw, a book about Zianon Pazniak based on years of conversations with him was presented. The authors, journalists Dzmitry Hurnievich and Pavel Mazheika, shared how they saw Pazniak outside of politics, what moved him to tears, and why publishing the book took more than ten years, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports .
Photos here and below: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The presentation took place at the History Meeting House in Warsaw. The discussion was moderated by publisher Yaraslau Ivaniuk. The book, previously published under the title "To Stand in the Breach of the Wall," has now been released in a revised edition titled "Zianon Pazniak — in Conversations with Dzmitry Hurnievich and Pavel Mazheika" by the Kamunikat publishing house.
The conversations were recorded in the first half of the 2010s. They cover events in Belarusian history from the interwar period to the attainment of independence in 1991.
The Other Zianon Pazniak
During the presentation, the authors were asked whether they succeeded in portraying a Pazniak whom Belarusians do not know from political speeches.
"I would say that this entire book is about a different Pazniak. He talks about the history of his family, his lineage, his father who was killed in the war, and his mother, about whom very little is known," noted Dzmitry Hurnievich.
According to the journalist, in private conversations, Pazniak was completely unlike his persona in political interviews: he joked, smiled, and when reminiscing about his parents, he sometimes could not hold back tears.
"I saw a Pazniak who wept," Hurnievich shared.
Dzmitry Hurnievich speaking
"This Book Is Not About Pazniak. This Book Is About the Twentieth Century"
Pavel Mazheika suggested looking at the publication more broadly — as a narrative of 20th-century Belarus.
According to the journalist, through Pazniak's personal story, one can trace the path of several generations of Belarusians: through wars, repressions, and Russification toward the achievement of independence.
The authors aimed to show how, during the Soviet era, Belarusians preserved their national consciousness and continued working for the country's future independence. For this exact reason, the conversations in the book intentionally conclude in 1991.
Unknown Stories About Famous Belarusians
During the presentation, the authors recalled several unexpected stories included in the book. One of them concerns Zianon Pazniak's father. As recounted by Dzmitry Hurnievich, according to the politician's recollections, on September 18, 1939, his father greeted the Red Army entering Western Belarus with a white-red-white flag.
Among other episodes is how the poet Maksim Tank stood up for the young Pazniak when he was expelled from the Theater and Art Institute.
Another story details the struggle to preserve the historic architecture of Minsk. To obtain the signature of the renowned musical figure Ryhor Shyrma on a petition defending the old town, Pazniak and his associates spent several hours going door-to-door in a large apartment building. Eventually, Shyrma was found, and he signed the appeal.
Other figures featured in the memoirs include Uladzimir Karatkievich, Vasil Bykau, Ryhor Baradulin, Mikhas Charniauski, and other representatives of the Belarusian intelligentsia.
Pavel Mazheika holding the microphone
According to Pavel Mazheika, such stories help one understand that the independence of Belarus did not simply "fall from the sky," but was the result of years of work by many people.
Why the Book Took More Than Ten Years to Publish
The conversations with Pazniak were recorded over several years in a wide variety of locations: in cafés, shopping centers, cars, and at his home. They had to adapt to various schedules — Mazheika lived in Hrodna, Hurnievich worked in Warsaw, and Pazniak frequently traveled between Warsaw and New York.
The release was repeatedly postponed. Pavel Mazheika cited the coronavirus pandemic, the events of 2020, and political repressions among the reasons.
In August 2022, Mazheika was detained. He spent three years behind bars and was released only in September 2025.
While Pavel was imprisoned, Zianon Pazniak published the book "To Stand in the Breach of the Wall" at his own expense, without waiting for the journalists to complete their editorial work.
Meanwhile, the finalized manuscript remained in Belarus. Following searches and his forced departure from the country, Pavel Mazheika feared that the work had been lost. However, the manuscript was successfully smuggled out of Belarus, allowing the authors to resume preparing the book.
The new edition was prepared by the Kamunikat publishing house. Advance copies were showcased at the presentation. The final edition is planned to be published in hardcover.
The journalists admitted that they still have many questions left for Pazniak. A portion of the recorded conversations, including those about events after 1991, was not included in the book. The authors do not rule out the possibility of a sequel in the future.