Adam Maldzis (
Belarusian: Адам Мальдзіс, 7 August 1932 – 3 January 2022) was a Belarusian historian, literary critic, author and journalist. He was described as "a patriarch of Belarusian humanities", "an excellent connoisseur of literature" and "a living bridge between Belarus and the scholars of
Belarusian studies around the world". He was “the author of unique studies of the
Old Belarusian literature [
be]”.[1]
Life and career
Maldzis was born in the village of Rasoly, Oszmiany District,
Poland (now in
Astraviec District of Belarus) – a place on a cross-road of "different influences – national, religious and cultural".[2] At school he began publishing articles in children's periodicals.[2]
He earned a degree in journalism from the
Belarusian State University followed by postgraduate studies at the Yanka Kupala Institute of Literature of the
Belarusian Academy of Sciences. In 1962–1991, Maldzis worked at the Institute of Literature of the
Academy of Sciences of Belarus. His main academic interest and specialism was in Belarusian-Polish and Belarusian-Lithuanian literary connections.[3]
Despite strict ideological control in the
Soviet Belarus, Maldzis managed to publish a review of
Arnold McMillin's A History of Byelorussian Literature from Its Origins to the Present Day (1977) – the first English-language history of
Belarusian literature.[4]
In 1982, Maldzis was the first scholar from the Soviet Belarus to spend a considerable amount of time at the
Belarusian Library in London working with the materials unavailable to researchers at home due to censorship.[4]
In 1990, he made a public statement – the first in the
BSSR – calling for the acknowledgement of the important and positive role of the
Uniate Church in the history of Belarus.[5]
In 1987, Maldzis became the head of the restitution commission of the Belarusian Cultural Fund. In 1991, he founded the International Association of Belarusian Studies. In the same year, he founded the
Francis Skaryna National Research and Education Centre; he was its director in 1991–98.[3] Maldzis served on the board of the Association of Belarusians of the World Baćkauščyna (Motherland).[6]
Maldzis died on 3 January 2022, at the age of 89.[7]
Notable works
A six-volume bibliography of Belarusian literature to which Maldzis “devoted 20 years of [his] life”.[8]
Review of
Prof McMillin’s History of Byelorussian Literature: From Its Origins to The Present Day.[9]
Творчае пабрацімства: Беларуска-польскія літаратурныя ўзаемасувязі ў XIX ст. Creative [Brotherhood: Belarusian-Polish Literary Relations in the 19th Century], Мінск/ Minsk, 1966.
Традыцыі польскага Асветніцтва ў беларускай літаратуры XIX стагоддзя [Traditions of the Polish Enlightenment in the Belarusian literature of the XIX century], Мінск / Minsk, 1972.
Тры месяцы пошукаў, знаходак і сустрэч [Three months of searches, finds and meetings] // Полымя, [Polymia], 1973, No. 7.
Таямніцы старажытных сховішчаў [Mysteries of ancient repositories], Мінск / Minsk, 1974.
Nieznany wiersz białoruski ze zbiorów Kórnickich / A. Maldzis // Pamiętnik biblioteki Kórnickiej [Unknown Belarusian poem from the Kórnik collection] / A. Maldzis // Diary of the Kórnik library.),1978, Zesz. 14, p. 177-180.
На скрыжаванні славянских традыцый: Літаратура Беларусі пераходнага перыяду: другая палавіна ХVII—ХVIII ст. [At the crossroads of Slavic traditions: Literature of Belarus in transition: the second half of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries], Мінск / Minsk, 1980.
Беларусь у люстэрку мемуарнай літаратуры XVIII стагоддзя: Нарысы быту і звычаяў [Belarus in the Mirror of Memoirs of the XVIII Century: Essays on Life and Customs], Мінск / Minsk, 1982.
Восень пасярод вясны: Аповесць, сатканая з гістарычных матэрыялаў і мясцовых паданняў [Autumn in the middle of spring: A story woven from historical materials and local legends], Мінск / Minsk, Мастац. літ., 1984.
Францыск Скарына як прыхільнік збліжэння і ўзаемаразумення людзей і народаў [Francisk Skaryna as a supporter of rapprochement and mutual understanding of peoples and nations], Мінск / Minsk, 1988.
Жыццё і ўзнясенне Уладзіміра Караткевіча: Партрэт пісьменніка і чалавека [Life and Ascension of
Uladzimir Karatkievič], Мінск / Minsk, 1990.
І ажываюць спадчыны старонкі: Выбр. [And pages of the legacy come to life: Selected], Мінск / Minsk, 1994.
Як жылі нашы продкі ў XVIII стагоддзі [How our ancestors lived in the XVIII century], Мінск / Minsk, 2001.
Выбранае / Адам Мальдзіс [Selected/ Adam Maldzis] Уклад. В. Грышкевіч; Прадм. Г. Кісялёў, В. Чамярыцкі. — Мн.: Кнігазбор, 2007. — 464 с. — («Беларускі кнігазбор»: Серыя 2. Гісторыка-літаратурныя помнікі).
ISBN978-985-6824-95-4.
Белорусские сокровища за рубежом [Belarusian Treasures abroad] /А. И. Мальдис. — Минск: Літаратура і Мастацтва, 2009. — 208 с. : и л. — (Беларусь вчера и сегодня).
ISBN978-985-6720-94-2.
Даўняя Беларусь. З настальгіяй аб мінулым / [Ancient Belarus. With nostalgia for the past] Адам Мальдзіс, Армэн Сардараў. — Мінск : Літаратура і Мастацтва, 2010. — 165, [2] с.
ISBN978-985-6941-36-1.
Соотечественики : очерки о белорусах и уроженцах Беларуси, обогативших мировую культуру [Compatriots: essays on Belarusians and natives of Belarus who have enriched world culture]/ Адам Мальдис. — Минск : Издательский дом «Звезда», 2013. — 336 с. (Беларусь вчера и сегодня).
ISBN978-985-7059-85-0.
Ад Скарыны і Фёдарава — у XXI стагоддзе: зборнік эсэ [From Skaryna and Fedorov - in the XXI century: a collection of essays] / Адам Мальдзіс. — Мінск : Чатыры чвэрці, 2018. — 206, [1] с.
ISBN978-985-581-087-3.