Kastuś Akuła ( be, Кастусь Акула, November 16, 1925 - January 29, 2008) was a

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

ian writer. After serving in the military during World War II, in 1947 he moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he was one of the founders of the

Belarusian Canadian Alliance Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

, and its first chairman. He was a prolific contributor to the magazine '' Zvažaj!''. His first work of prose, '' Zmaharnyja darohi'', reveals an insight into Belarusian life during World War II. In the

Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

, the publication of his works was banned: many Belarusian Soviet writers wrote open letters against him, calling him “an agent of the CIA,” “paid liberator of Belarus,” and “crazy anti-Soviet.” During the

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

exhibition in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Kastus organized a protest against the USSR, starting to shout anti-Soviet slogans and scatter brochures. This was noted by

Alexei Kosygin Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin ( rus, Алексе́й Никола́евич Косы́гин, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ kɐˈsɨɡʲɪn; – 18 December 1980) was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as the Premi ...

, and the police soon detained him. In 1992, he visited his historical homeland for the first time, but after 1995 his books again ceased to be published. He died on January 29, 2008, in Toronto.

References

1925 births 2008 deaths People from Dokshytsy District People from Wilno Voivodeship (1926–1939) Belarusian writers Byelorussian Home Defence personnel Polish military personnel of World War II Belarusian emigrants to Canada Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor {{Belarus-writer-stub

See also

Archives

References