Uladzimir Nyaklyayew

Uladzimir Prakopavich Nyaklyayew (Уладзі́мір Прако́павіч Някля́еў, Łacinka: Uładzimir Prakopavič Niaklajeŭ; Владимир Прокофьевич Некляев; born 11 July 1946) is a Belarusian poet and writer, and a former head of the public campaign Tell the Truth! ("Гавары праўду!").

Vladimir Nyaklyayew was born on 11 July 1946 in the city of Smarhon in Grodno Region.

His father, Prokofiy Neklyayev, was Russian, and used to work as a mechanic.

His mother, Anastasiya Mahyer, was a Belarusian.

Vladimir Nyaklyayew spent his childhood in a small place called Kreva where he finished his first school year.

From the 2nd till the 9th school years he was studying at the Smarhon School No. 1. From 1962 till 1966 Nyaklyayew was a student at Higher State Communications College.

Having finished the college, he started working in Vladivostok, Taishet, and Norilsk.

In 1967 Nyaklyayew returned to Belarus and was working as a radiomechanic at Minsk TV custom shop till 1971.

According to the words of Nyaklyayew, in Far East, Siberia and in the North he managed to see another country and other people.

New impressions passed into the first trials of literature works – his poems.

In 1969 Vladimir entered the correspondent department of philology at Minsk Pedagogical Institute and graduated from it in 1973.

In 1971 he entered the department of poetry at Moscow Literature Institute.

In 1972 Nyaklyayew left the Institute and came back to Minsk.

Nyaklyayew used to work as a journalist and editor in a number of Belarusian mass media editions from 1972 till 1999:

Having left the Literature Institute once he was back from Moscow in 1972, Nyaklyayew started writing only in Belarusian.

Since 1978 he has been the member of the Union of Writers of USSR.

The first big work by Nyaklyayew was his novel "Musician", written in emigration.

In 1998–2001 Niaklajeŭ chairman of the Union of Belarusian Writers (preceded by Vasil Zujonak, succeeded by Volha Ipatava. In May 2010, Niaklajeŭ became the member of the Union Council.

According to Niaklajeŭ’s words, after having been appointed to the position of the chairman of the Association of Writers, he had to deal with the president of Belarus Alaksandar Łukašenka who treated Niaklajeŭ as "the boss over the writers".

At the same time an agreement creating Belarus and Russia Union State was signed, which was not approved by the writers of Belarus, protesting against this decision in public.

It was the beginning of the conflict between Łukašenka and Niaklajeŭ and as a result, Uładzimier Niaklajeŭ had to leave the country.

Beginning from 20 June 1999 Vladimir Nyaklyayew lived in Poland.

Having declared in public about his breakup with the official powers, Vladimir Nyaklyayew became the first representative of Belarusian culture who had left Belarus under political reasons.

He also used to live in Finland.

Within the migration period, he wrote his novel "Musician".

Nyaklyayew returned to Minsk in 2003 after the death of Vasil’ Bykaw.

His first poems Nyaklyayew started writing in Russian, being the member of literature association in the newspaper "Znamya Yunosti".

The incitement to change the profession was the trip to Far East and North, after which, coming back home, he decided to enter the Department of Philology.

The novel presentation took place on 21 September 2003, about which he says the following:

In 2005, V. Niaklajeŭ was elected as the head of Belarusian PEN Center, and on 10 April, he voluntarily left that position.

Andrej Chadanvič became the next head of the Center.

In 2008 in the section "The Voice of Poet" there was edited an audio book with Niaklajeŭ’s poems read by the author.

In 2009 in the section "Belarusian books overview" one book of Niaklajeŭ’s poems and prose works was edited with the preface written by Ryhor Baradulin.

Philosopher and cultural scientist Valancin Akudovič thinks that "Niaklajeŭ broke the stereotype that the best poems can be written by the poet in his young years because the emotions are stronger when we are young. Akudovic believes that the poem "Łožak dla pčały" A Bed for a Bee written by Uładzimier Niaklajeŭ in his mature age is the best work he had ever written, and one of the best in the entire Belarusian literature. If not the best one ever."

Uładzimier Niaklajeŭ was a member of the Union of Creative and Scientific Youth under the Central Committee of Belarus Komsomol and a member of Belarusian Theatrical Association.

He was a candidate for 19 December 2010 elections in Belarus, and, according to Amnesty International, was placed under house arrest for his role in post-election protests.

Since 25 February 2010, he was the initiator of the civil campaign "Tell the Truth!".

Neklyayew thinks that finally in the society there appeared the demand for the true information of the current situation in the country, taking into consideration that the powers are lying, hide the real situation or distort the information.

In 2013 Nyaklyayew received Jerzy Giedroyc Literary Award (an independent yearly award for the best book of prose written in Belarusian) for his novel Soda Fountains With and Without Syrup.

At the 13th special congress of the Union of Belarusian Writers, Niaklajeŭ suggested that there should be accepted the resolution to support the oppositional candidate, saying that Łukašenka was in power illegally and had no right to be the candidate for presidency.