Writer Viktor Martinovich gave an interview to the German publication Die Zeit. In it, he spoke about financial survival, isolation, living in constant fear, and explained why he categorically refuses to emigrate from Belarus.
In Belarus, Martinovich found himself in total professional isolation. After EHU was declared an "extremist organization," he had to leave his professorship to stay safely in his homeland, and is now forced to live off the sale of his parents' apartment.
He also cannot publish: censorship operates within the country (the print run of the novel "Revolution" was seized for a six-month review), and publication in emigrant publishing houses, such as Gutenberg in Krakow, now carries a threat of six years in prison due to their "extremist" status.
Describing the atmosphere inside Belarus, the writer notes that fear has destroyed trust between people. Authors within the country do not communicate with each other, and he himself avoids contact with the diaspora to avoid risking himself when crossing the border.
Martinovich admits that he lives in a state of constant fear, which he compares to an air pocket in an airplane. For security reasons, the writer refused to answer some questions from the journalist.
Despite this, the writer calls possible emigration a betrayal of himself and of those who remained.
"The meaning of my life is to write about what I see in Belarus. Eyes and ears must remain in the country, and I am probably the last author left here. If I leave, no one will understand the changes that will one day happen here," he explains.
Martinovich adds that texts written by him abroad have no value for him, and he continues to believe in the victory of good, because these words, spoken inside today's Belarus, carry a completely different weight.
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