Sad news came from the Union of Belarusian Writers. On March 2, 2006, the court ruled that the literary association must give up its historical building – the Writer’s House, which would be taken over by one of the departments of the Presidential Administration for God only knows what purposes.
Now when the literati have to clear off, the question is – Where will the rich library of the association go? It contained many unique volumes, and seems like the full collection won’t be available in the national capital any longer. About 8,000 books have already been transferred to the Presidential Library, but the most valuable items will be moved to one of the regional libraries, the location of which is still unknown. The great collection of original works, letters, newspaper subscription catalogs –which distinguished the library – will be scattered around different locations. It also saddens me that Minsk is about to lose one of few places where the spirit of Belarusian culture was still preserved. The Writer’s House frequently hosted many interesting events, concerts, and conferences. Now seems like this venue will be lost.