Alhierd Bacharevič (, born 31 January 1975 in Minsk) is a Belarusian writer and translator. Born Aleh Ivanavič Bacharevič, he adopted his nom-de-plume (which refers to Algirdas, the medieval ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) in his first literary publications in 1993.Альгерд Бахарэвіч. 2018. Мае дзевяностыя. Алег Іванавіч. Журнал. 14 сентября. Альгерд Бахарэвiч. 2016. Бэзавы і чорны. Парыж праз акуляры беларускай літаратуры, p 33) In 1997 he graduated from the Philological Faculty of the Belarusian Pedagogical University in Minsk. Afterward, Bacharevič worked as a teacher of Belarusian and then as a journalist. His first texts were published in 1993. In the 1990s, he was one of the founders of the Belarusian literary and artistic avantgarde group Bum-Bam-Lit.Бум-Бам-Літ Bum-Bam-Lit; Юрась Барысевіч. 2015. БУМ-БАМ-ЛІТ: НЕ ПЫТАЙСЯ, ПА КІМ БОМКАЕ ТАЗІК. 13 лістапада ў Музэі-майстэрні З. Азгура «Бум-Бам-Літ» адзначае сваё 20-годзьдзе. pARTisan. 6 Nov In 1998, this group published the now cult anthology of their poetry, namely, Tazik biełaruski ('The Belarusian Basin').ТАЗІК БЕЛАРУСКІ. Зборнік вершаў ('The Belarusian Basin: An Anthology of Poems,' 1998) At that time Bacharevič married Ksienija Brečka (Ксенія Брэчка). They have one daughter, Uljana (Ульяна). Between 2007 and 2013, Bacharevič lived in Hamburg, Germany. In 2013, he returned to Minsk and married the Belarusian translator and poet, Julia Cimafiejeva (Юля Цімафеева Yulya Tsimafeyeva).Альгерд Бахарэвіч вярнуўся з эміграцыі ў Беларусь. 2013. Новы час. 19 Sept; Юлія Пятроўна Цімафеева They lived in the Belarusian capital and cooperated in the field of Belarusian literature and culture, until the 2020 Belarusian protests. Subsequently, in order to avoid persecution, the couple of authors chose emigration and left for Austria. Now he lives in Berlin.
Writing career
Alhierd Bacharevič is the leading Belarusian-language author of novels, including the novels Magpie on the Gallows (Сарока на шыбеніцы, 2009), and Šabany: The Story of One Disappearance (Шабаны. Гісторыя аднаго зьнікненьня, 2012), Alindarka’s Children (Дзеці Аліндаркі, 2014), or White Fly, Murderer of Men (Белая муха, забойца мужчын, 2015). The publishing house Lohvinaŭ published an over 900-page novel in six parts Dogs of Europe (Сабакі Эўропы, 2017), which is deemed to be the writer's opus magnum. The novel received in Belarus the Book of the Year award and was noted in Belarus with the independent Reader's Prize and the second Jerzy Gedroyc Prize. In 2019, the Moscow publishing house Vremia published the Russian translation of this novel (Собаки Европы).
The works by Alhierd Bacharevič were translated into English, French, German, Czech, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Russian, Polish, Lithuanian. In 2008, a collection by Alhierd Bacharevič's selected stories was translated into Polish "Talent do jąkania się". In 2010, in Leipzig, the novel Magpie on the Gallows was published in German in the translation by Thomas Weiler. In 2015, the story of Bacharevič The Talent of Stuttering was included in the anthology of the best European short prose "Best European Fiction". In 2017, the Small Medical Encyclopedia by Bacharevič was published in Polish in the Lublin Warsztaty Kultury publishing house (translated by Mira Luksha). In 2018, the novel Children of Alindarki was published by the publishing house "Le ver a soie" in the French translation of Alena Lapatnoiva.
Alhierd Bacharevič translated the fairy tale The Cold Heart by Wilhelm Hauff, which was published at the end of 2009 under one cover with an independent work entitled The Translator's Afterword. Translated from the German language, individual works of the brothers Grimm, Franz Kafka, G. G. Evers, poems by Hans Enzensberger and other modern German poets and the novel by the modern German writer Kathrin Schmidt You will not die. He took part in the Berlin Literary Colloquium, the Theater Festival in Lublin (Poland), the Literary Festivals Vilenica (Slovenia), the Lesefest Osteuropa (Leipzig, Germany), The Month of Author Reading in Brno, international literary festivals in Sweden, Ukraine, Lithuania, Czech Republic and others. He has performed at international book fairs in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Warsaw, Lviv, Minsk. In 2014, he represented Belarus at the International European Writers Conference in Berlin.
In 2012, after the members' angry reaction to the publication of Alhierd Bacharevič's essay The Dark Past of Kajan Łupaka on Janka Kupała in 2011, he left the Union of Belarusian Writers. He had been a member of this Union since 2006.Васіль Кулікоў. 2018. Альгерд Бахарэвіч: «На бабруйскіх вуліцах на мяне глядзелі так, нібы я амэрыканец…». Бобруйский курьер 8 Sept Bacharevič is a member of the Belarusian PEN Club.
In 2015, a performance was staged on the Small Stage of the Yanka Kupala State Theater based on the novel Šabany by Alhierd Bacharevič.
In mid-2020 Bacharevič resigned from continuing work on his new fantasy-cum-political fiction novel Сьвятая Кацярына Śviataja Kaciaryna [Saint Catherine] (after having completed over 400 pages), because unexpectedly the socio-political reality of the Belarusian pro-democracy Peaceful Revolution accelerated beyond the book's original plot. The novel coalesced around the arrival of a female extraterrestrial on Earth and the revolution that she triggered. However, in the author's words, 'Mrs Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja fell from the sky to Minsk, so the manuscript was set aside,' because meanwhile, according to Bacharevič, a peaceful revolution commenced in Belarus. The novelist proposes that despite violent repressions this revolution still continues, directed against the 'regime of the fascist type.'
Following the Belarus's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, on 2 March 2022, Bacharevič's open letter to the Ukrainians was published, in which he stated: 'I am prepared to take upon myself the shame and disgrace of Belarus for what is happening – in exactly the same way as German writers in the emigration did in the times of the Second World War'.
Due to his principled stance, the Belarusian regime's propagandists began to attack and denigrate Bacharevič in the pro-regime Belarusian press. On 17 May 2022, his novel Сабакі Эўропы Sabaki Eŭropy [Dogs of Europe] was banned in Belarus by placing it on the 'list of extremist material.' In mid-June 2022, the Belarusian Ministry of Education ordered the country's school libraries to be cleansed of the books by over 30 proscribed 'extremist' writers, including. In late July 2022, the authorities decided that the confiscated copies of Bacharevič's 'extremist' novel Сабакі Эўропы Sabaki Eŭropy [Dogs of Europe] would be destroyed by ploughing them by a tractor into a field. In March 2023, another book of Baharevich, Апошняя кніга пана А. Apošniaja kniha pana A. [Mr. A's Latest Book] was included in the list of extremist materials.«Апошняя кніга пана А.» Альгерда Бахарэвіча трапіла ў спіс экстрэмісцкіх матэрыялаў
Novels, volumes of short stories and essays 2002 – Практычны дапаможнік па руйнаваньні гарадоў. Проза, 1997–2001 Praktyčny dapamožnik pa rujnavańni haradoŭ. Proza, 1997–2001 [A Practical Guide to Ruining Cities: Stories, 1997–2001]. St Petersburg: Run' and Vilnius: OOO Nevskii prostor. Практычны дапаможнік па руйнаваньні гарадоў PDF file with the book 2003 – Натуральная афарбоўка. Раман і апавяданні Naturalnaja afarboŭka. Raman i apaviadanni [Natural Dye: A Novel and Stories]. Miensk: Lohvinaŭ. 2006 – Ніякай літасьці Валянціне Г. Апавяданні Nijakaj litaści Valiancinie H. Apaviadanni [No Mercy for Valiancina H.: Stories]. Miensk: Lohvinaŭ. 2008 – Праклятыя госьці сталіцы Prakliatyja hości stalicy [Damned Guests of the Capital]. Miensk: Lohvinaŭ. 2008 – Talent do jąkania się / Талент заіканьня [Talent for Stuttering] (a bilingual collection of short stories in Belarusian and Polish translation). Wrocław: Kolegium Europy Wschodniej im. Jana Nowaka-Jeziorańskiego. 2009 – Сарока на шыбеніцы Saroka na šybienicy [Magpie on the Gallows]. Miensk: Lohvinaŭ. German translation: Die Elster auf dem Galgen [translated from the Belarusian by Thomas Weiler] (Ser: Neue Prosa Osteuropa-Bibliothek). 2010. Leipzig: Leipziger Literaturverlag. Polish translation: Sroka na szubienicy [translated from the Belarusian by Igor Maksymiuk and Jan Maksymiuk] (Ser: Meridian). 2021. Sejny: Pogranicze, 456pp. 2009 – Introduction to and the Belarusian translation from the German of Халоднае сэрца: казка Chałodnaje serca: kazka [Das kalte Herz / The Cold Heart] by Вільгельм Гаўф Wilhelm Hauff. Miensk: Halijafy. 2011 – Малая мэдычная энцыкляпэдыя Бахарэвіча Malaja medyčnaja encykliapedyja Bachareviča [Bacharevič's Small Medical Encyclopedia]. Prague: Radyjo Svaboda. Альгерд Бахарэвіч. Малая мэдычная энцыкляпэдыя Бахарэвіча. 2011 (PDF) Антынавуковае выданьне для шырокага кола дактароў-самавучак. Polish translation: Mały leksykon medyczny według Bacharewicza [translated by Mirosława Łuksza]. Lublin: Warsztaty Kultury. 2012 – Шабаны. Гісторыя аднаго зьнікненьня Šabany. Historyja adnaho źniknieńnia [Šabany: The Story of One Disappearance]. Miensk: Halijafy. (2nd edition in 2015, ) Theater adaptation: Šabany (directed by Алена Ганум Aljena Hanum). 2014. Miensk: Janka Kupała National Theatre. 2012 – Гамбурскі рахунак Бахарэвіча Hamburski rachunak Bachareviča [Bacharevič's Hamburg Account]. Prague: Radyjo Svaboda and Miensk: Lohvinaŭ. «Советское» vs «национальное»: о «Гамбургскім рахунку» А. БахаревичаАльгерд Бахарэвіч. Гамбурскі рахунак Бахарэвіча. 2012 (PDF) «Падручнік беларускай літаратуры ХХІ ст.» Суб’ектыўны погляд пісьменьніка на беларускую літаратурную клясыку. 2014 – Каляндар Бахарэвіча Kaliandar Bachareviča [Bacharevič's Calendar]. Prague: Radyjo Svaboda. Альгерд Бахарэвіч. Каляндар Бахарэвіча. 2014 (PDF) Кнігу склалі 366 эсэ пра гістарычныя падзеі кожнага дня году. Гэтая кніга стваралася ў Гамбургу і Менску, Уроцлаве і Вісбю, у цягніках і гатэлях, на выспах і вуліцах, яна рухалася наперад няўхільна, быццам стрэлка гадзіньніка, і пісалася, як мастацкае палатно, каб урэшце загучаць, як музыка. 2014 – Ніякай літасьці Альгерду Б. Nijakaj litaści Alhierdu B. [No Mercy for Alhierd B.]. Miensk: Halijafy. 2014 – Дзеці Аліндаркі Dzieci Alindarki [Alindarka's Children]. Miensk: Halijafy. French translation: Les enfants d'Alendrier [translated from the Belarusian by Alena Lapatniova] (Ser: 200 000 signes). 2018. Les Essarts-le-Roi: le Ver à soie-Virginie Symaniec éditrice. Scots-English translation: Alindarka's Children [Belarusian-language sections translated into Scots by Petra Reid; Russian-language sections translated into English by Jim Dingley]. 2020. Edinburgh: Scotland Street Press, 188pp. ISBN 9781910895405.Alhierd Bacharevič. 2020. Alhierd Bacharevič on the publication of ‘Alindarka’s Children’. Edinburgh. Scotland Street Press. 30 Nov. US edition: Alindarka's Children [Belarusian-language sections translated into Scots by Petra Reid; Russian-language sections translated into English by Jim Dingley]. 2022. New York: New Directions., 352pp. 2nd edition: Дзеці Аліндаркі Dzieci Alindarki. 2024. Warsaw: Кнігаўка Knihaŭka. , 252pp.Дзеці Аліндаркі - Альгерд Бахарэвіч Ukrainian translation: Діти Аліндарка Dity Alindarka [translated by Лэсік Панасюк Lesik Panasiuk і Дарына Гладун Daryna Hladun]. 2025. Kyiv: Видавничий дім «Стилос» Vydavnichyi dim «Stylos». , 292pp.“Дзеці Аліндаркі” Бахарэвіча выйшлі па-ўкраінску. 2025. BelLitInfo. 4 Dec.«Діти Аліндарка»Анастасія Герасимова. 2025. Мова як зброя, протест і погибель у романі «Діти Аліндарка» Альгєрда Бахаревіча. Читомо. 9 Dec. 2015 – Белая муха, забойца мужчын Biełaja mucha, zabojca mužčyn [White Fly, Men Killer]. Miensk: Halijafy. Russian translation: Белая муха, убийца мужчин Belaia mukha, ubiitsa muzhchin [translated from the Belarusian by Alhierd Bacharevič]. 2017. Miensk: Halijafy.