Strumen Vasil (Lebyadzeu Alyaksandr Mikalaevich) was a poet and prosaist. He wrote in the Byelorussian and the Ukrainian languages.
Background
Strumen’s father, Mikalai Dzmitravich, took part in World War I and fell in battle in 1915. In 1919 his mother, Katsyaryna
Pyatrouna, got married to Pavel Ivashaevich, who was a postmaster. Strumen’s stepfather was assigned to a job at railway station “Neya”, where the family lived till 1921. Then they moved to Zachaepichy village, Lidski pavet (now Dzyatlausk district, Grodno region).
Education
Vasil Strumen was educated in a Polish elementary school (1921-1925), then he took private lessons. In 1928 Vasil got a graduation card of Zachaepitsk school.
Career
Vasil Strumen took part in the revolution struggle together with such Belarusian poets as P. Granit, G. Pramen, N. Zhalba. In 1930 Strumen was elected as a Komsomol secretary in Zachaepichy village. In 1932 Vasil Strumen joined The Communist Party of Western Belarus. He was sent to prison in Lida, Glybokae, Vileiki because of his revolutionary activity, publication of anti-government verses and participation in strike on a glass works “Neman”, where he worked in 1935-1936. Vasil Strumen served a sentence in Vileiki prison for an attempt to cross Polish-Soviet border. When the term passed, Vasil Strumen followed the drum on Polish side. In 1937-1938 he served a sentence in Lida top security prison because of revolutionary agitation among polish soldiers. In 1938 Vasil Strumen moved to Krasnitsa village. He worked as a head of Rysvyansk (1939-1940) and Tsytsyloeu (1940-1941) elementary schools. Vasil Strumen studied by correspondence at pedagogical school in Astrozh, and he finished it in 1941. During the war he struggled against the fascists. From 1944 to 1945 Vasil Strumen took part in the struggle for liberation of West-Ukrainian, West-Byelorussian and Lithuanian lands. He was wounded twice. In 1945-1948, after demobilization, Vasil Strumen worked as a teacher of Ukrainian literature and language in Kastopal city. In 1949 he graduated by correspondence from Rovensk pedagogical institute. In 1953 he graduated from Lvov pedagogical institute. In 1955-1956 Vasil Strumen taught Ukrainian literature and language, history and psychology in secondary school in Sarny city. In 1956-1957 worked in editorial staff of local newspaper in Sarny city. Also he was the headmaster of an evening secondary school in Katsyarynouka settlement. In 1979 Vasil Strumen retired and began to occupy himself with creative activity. He was awarded an order of Patriotic War, different medals. Vasil Strumen is an honorary citizen of Dzyatlausk district, Grodno region.
Strumen’s first verse “Nasha Dolya” (“Our Fate”) was published in an underground paper “Malady Kamunist” (“A Young Communist”) in 1931, his first satirical notes were published in 1932. Before the war Strumen’s poetry was published in “Belaruskaya gazeta” (“Byelorussian newspaper”), in “Literaturnaya staronka” (“Literary Page”), in a newspaper “Nasha Volya” (“Our Fate”), in a satirical journal “Asva” (“Mastering”) and others. Vasil Strumen wrote about hard life, revolutionary struggle. Satirical verses, feuilletons, pamphlets are the main Strumen’s poetic genres in the thirties. During postwar years his verses and articles were placed in collections “Stsyagi i pakhodni” (“Banners and Torches”), “Dzen paezii” (“The Day of Poetry”), “Rostani Voli” (“The Crossroads of Freedom”). First Ukrainian verse “Na zhovtnovij demonstratsii” (“On the Yellow Demonstration”) was printed in 1956 in the newspaper “Chyrvonyj prapor” (“Red Ensign”). In 1989 Vasil Strumen published his memoirs in Novogrudok and Shchuchyn local newspapers. Vasil Strumen is the author of memoirs “Tsyarnisty shlyakh” (“A Thorny Path”), novellas “Praz vyprabavanni” (“Through a hoop”) and “Narodnyya zmagary” (“National fighters”). Some of his verses are set to music by such composers
as S. Vyalitskaya, U. Melnik, A. Navasad, Y. Ramanenka.