Yakub Kolas

Who is Yakub Kolas?

Yakub Kolas, born Kanstantsin Mickiewicz in the Stowbtsy district of present-day Belarus, is celebrated alongside Yanka Kupala as a co-founder of modern Belarusian literature; the two are often called together the "two pillars" of the Belarusian literary revival. Trained as a schoolteacher, Kolas combined a career in education with writing prose and epic poetry rooted in Belarusian peasant life and the natural landscape of his homeland. His major works include the poetic trilogy "Novaya Zyamlya" ("New Land"), widely regarded as an epic portrait of Belarusian rural life, and the poem "Symon-Muzyka." He also wrote schoolbooks that helped standardize the Belarusian literary language in the classroom. Politically active for Belarusian causes, he was imprisoned by tsarist authorities early in his career for his role in the Belarusian national movement. In the Soviet period he became a leading academic figure, serving as vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of the Belarusian SSR. Streets, a university, and Minsk's central square bear his name today.

Sources: Yakub Kolas State Literary Museum, Minsk · Encyclopedia Britannica, entry on Yakub Kolas · Arnold McMillin, A History of Belarusian Literature