Frantsishek Olehnovich was a Belarusian writer, journalist and Gulag survivor. Olehnovich was a well-known theatrical writer, director and journalist in West Belarus. He was editor of the newspaper Bielaruski zvon published in Vilnius.
In 1944 Frantsishek Olehnovich was assassinated by a Soviet terrorist.
I
Background
In 1926 he decided to stay in East Belarus after a conference in Minsk. After a couple of months he got arrested by the NKVD and sent to Solovki concentration camp. He spent seven years in the Gulag and was exchanged for Branislav Tarashkevich, a West Belarusian politician held in Polish prison, in 1933. Olehnovich's Gulag experience became a basis for his 1934 book of memoirs U kipciuroch GPU (In the claws of the GPU), that was later translated into several languages. During the Second World War, Frantsishek Olehnovich was editor of the newspaper Bielaruski holas published in Vilnius. Besides that, he was one of the leaders of the Belarusian Independence Party - a Belarusian Christian Democratic underground antifascist organization led by padre Vincent Hadlevski.
Education
Studied in gymnasium in Vilnius but was expelled from 5 grade for poor results. Studiyng in Vilnius chemical-technical school ended unsuccessfully as well.
Career
After graduating from Drama School in 1907 worked as an actor only for a year. Then returned to Vilnius and decided to devote himself to journalism. In the beginning worked as a reporter in newspapers, later issued humorous magazine in Polish language "Perkunas". In 1910 took part in staging of the play "Pa Revizii" (According to Inspection) which was the first Belarusian language play in Vilnius. Besides was one of its actors and was very successful. The first comedy he wrote was "Na Antokali" (In Antokal), firstly in Polish and then translated in Belarusian. In 1916 organized a club "Belarusian Dramatic Group". Next year opening a theater season Olehnovich starts writing plays resulting in five works 'Butrym Nyamira", "Bazylishka", "U Lyasnym Gushchary" (In the Heart of Forest), "Paparats-Kvetka" (Fern-Flower) and "Kalis' " (Once). Also he wrote many prose works. In 1918 he wrote two more plays: "Chort i Baba" (Devil and A Woman) and "Strahi Zhyttsya" (Fears of life), which were staged in Minsk. In 1919 issued a magazine "Belarusian Life". The same year wrote the plays "DzyadzkaYakub" (Uncle Yakub), "Ptushka Shchastsya" (Bird of Happiness). 1921 - "Shchaslivy Muzh"(Happy Husband), 1922 - "Pan Ministar" (Sir Minister). Later worked in Polish newspapers and in theater. In 1935 his most famous work "U Kapciuroh GPU" (In the claws of the GPU). In the beginning of the war became an editor of Nazi newspaper "Belarusian Voice". In 1943 he wrote a play "Krutsi Nie Krutsi - Treba Pamyartsi" (You Have to Die Anyway). From the beginning of 1944 he started to publish his memories of the period before the war under the title "Strashny God" (A Terrible Year).