World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Nil Hilevich

ニール・シムナヴィチ・ヒレヴィチ

Nil Symonavič Hilevič

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1931-09-30 (Slabada, Lahoysk District, Minsk Region, Belarus)
Died
2016-03-29 age 84
Nationality
Belarusian
Languages
Belarusian, Russian

Career

Occupations
poet, translator, university professor, editor, playwright
Active Years
1946-2016
Affiliations
Belarusian State University (staff/professor), Zvyazda (newspaper), Writers' Union of the BSSR, Francišak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society
Memberships
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (joined 1978), Writers' Union of Belarus, Francišak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society, Member of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR
Influenced
younger Belarusian poets

Education

College in Minsk (teacher training)
Period: 1948-1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Belarus
Worked as a school teacher for a short period after graduation
Belarusian State University
Faculty of Philology
Period: 1951-1956
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: Belarus
Graduated from the Faculty of Philology

Awards

People's Poet of Belarus
1991
Organization: Belarusian state
Result: 受賞
Byelorussian SSR State Prize
Result: 受賞
Order of Friendship of Peoples
Result: 受賞
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd class
Result: 受賞
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Result: 受賞
Francysk Skaryna Medal
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Piesnia u darohu (Song of the Road)

1957 poetry

An early collection of poems dealing with homeland, journey and reflections on life.

homelandjourneylyricism

Pradviesne idze pa ziamli (A Feeling of Spring Passes over the Earth)

1959 poetry

A poetry collection themed around nature and seasons, with national motifs.

natureseasonsnational identity

Nespakoy (Disquiet)

1961 poetry

Works addressing personal and social anxieties and conflicts.

inner conflictsocial critique

Balshak (The Highway)

1965 poetry

A collection featuring poems written from a broader social perspective.

societyjourney

Sini domik, sini dom (Little Blue House, Blue House)

1961 children's poetry

A collection of gentle poems for children, characterized by warmth and humor.

childrenhomeimagination

Perazhivshy vajnu (Having Survived the War)

1988 novel

A novel addressing wartime experiences and postwar memory, reflecting the author's poetic perspective.

warmemoryrecovery

Bibliography

  • Piesnia u darohu (Song of the Road)
  • Pradviesne idze pa ziamli (A Feeling of Spring Passes over the Earth)
  • Nespakoy (Disquiet)
  • Balshak (The Highway)
  • Perazhivshy vajnu (Having Survived the War)
  • Sini domik, sini dom (Little Blue House, Blue House)

Translations by Author

  • Translations into Belarusian from Bulgarian, Slovenian, Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and Russian

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical with strong national elementsfolkloric influencesmixes humor and satire
Recurring Motifs
homelandnaturewar and memoryfolklore

Legacy

Nil Hilevich was one of Belarus's leading poets, authoring over 80 books of poetry, translations and literary studies. He played a key role in Belarusian language activism and the founding of a language society, and influenced subsequent generations of poets.

Academic Societies

  • Francišak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society
  • Writers' Union of Belarus

Trivia

  • A highly productive poet with over 80 books of poetry, publications and translations.
  • First published in 1946; his first verse collection appeared about eleven years later.
  • Joined the Communist Party in 1978 (as recorded in sources).
  • Served as executive secretary of the Writers' Union of the BSSR for approximately nine years from 1980.
  • Became chairperson of the Francišak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society in 1989 and edited its bulletin 'Nasha Slova'.
  • Awarded the title People's Poet of Belarus in 1991.