Yury Humianiuk's posthumous book of poems released in Poland

The book was published by the Polish publishing house EkoPress. It was prepared for publication by Ales Arkush, who has been living in Białystok since 2006. In an interview with "Svaboda," he said that he collected 83 poems by the famous Hrodna poet in the book and wrote a preface to it.

— I selected Yury's most artistically perfect poems. The title of the book is a line from his poem "Eternal Stone." In his youth, Jura erected a large cross on his grandfather's grave, and now he himself lies beneath it. Therefore, the book's title is symbolic: it reflects both a tragic fate and memory with hope, — Ales Arkush said.

Yury Humianiuk, a Belarusian poet, prose writer, and journalist, died in Hrodna on January 19, 2013. He was 43 years old. On the eve of the tragedy, he told friends about persecution by the KGB. The official version of death is suicide.

The collection of selected poems by Yury Humianiuk became the fourth book in the "Brukavanka" (Cobblestone) series, which publishes books by Belarusian poets whose names are widely known, but who, due to current circumstances, might be forgotten, explains the publisher.

— It happens in poetry: a person passes away, and their name is forgotten. This is especially true for regional poetry. And Belarusian poetry is precisely made up of regional traditions, because Belarus is not a small country. If you compare poets from Polesia with those who live in the north, they will differ greatly — starting from language and ending with myths, heroes, and other features that make up literature. Hrodna literature is also very distinctive and rich, and the Hrodna poetic school is special. Jura was a prominent representative of it.

He was also connected to Białystok: he graduated from the Department of Polish Studies at Hrodna University, was published in local editions, and collaborated with media. That's why we decided to use this book to remind people about Yury Humianiuk — a master of poetic word and generally a legendary Hrodna native. The main goal is to actualize his poetry, which should not be forgotten, — explains Ales Arkush.

Ales Arkush calls the series of poetry collections "Brukavanka" (Cobblestone) "amber."

— Brukavanka is our symbol. It's a path. Every poet leaves their mark on this path.

According to the publisher's plan, up to ten books by Belarusian poets are planned to be released annually. Six have already been published, but Ales cannot name all the authors, as they live in Belarus, and publication abroad could harm them.

— Our books contain 70-80 poems and are about 100 pages long. A small, as they say, "pocket" format was chosen because the books are primarily intended for Belarusians living in emigration who often do not have the opportunity to keep large editions. The books are published in small print runs, but they can be ordered on the kamunikat.org online store website. It is also very important that, according to Polish rules, copies of each new book are sent to the main libraries of Poland, so there is no doubt: this poetry will not disappear, — said Ales Arkush.

Next in the "Brukavanka" series will be a book of poems by another Hrodna poet — the late Andrey Pyatkevich.

The presentation of Yury Humianiuk's book "And a Stone Cross Will Grow Like a Tree" will take place on August 1 at 5:00 PM in the "Novaya Ziamlia" (New Land) space (Białystok, St. Roch Street, 5/32).

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