Readers of the Hrodna region will not be able to get the latest translations of the Nobel laureate works in the local libraries.
The Board Chairman of the Belgazprombank Viktar Babaryka told Euroradio about this fact.
“The Hrodna region libraries have introduced the concept of book sufficiency and stated that there are enough books in their libraries. But these are the translations of Alexievich’s books, which were not there before! And this means that the number of Alexievich’s books in the Hrodna region is zero?” the perplexed banker said.
The Karsky Regional Scientific Library and the central city library named after Makayonak have confirmed to Belsat that they do not possess the latest translations of Alexievich works, offering to us the “Chernobyl Prayer” and “Zinky Boys” translated into the Belarusian language in the 1990s, and “The Unwomanly Face of War”, as well as the translation “Secondhand Time” from 2013.
Belsat also could not find the new five-volume book in other regional libraries of Belarus.
The Homiel Regional Universal Library told Belsat that “even if the book is brought and given to them today, it will appear in the catalog in two or three weeks”.
“Technical processing of the book and inclusion in the catalog can take even a month,” added the library.
The presentation of “Voices of Utopia” — the complete collection of works by Alexievich in Belarusian– was held in Minsk on June 25. The Belarusians collected money for book publication through crowd-funding. During the campaign, Belgazprombank placed an order for printing an additional edition of 3,000 copies for distribution to Belarusian libraries.
