A Minsk woman bought an apartment in a writers' house, renovated it, and hosts literary meetings
In the second half of the last century, incredible things happened in this house at Karla Marksa, 36: a walk under the windows of the local apartments was often accompanied by the clatter of typewriter keys. Thus, any passerby could hear Shamyakin, Maur, or Melezh at work.
This five-story building is a place where Belarusian writers lived and their works were born. Families of famous authors are still registered in some apartments, but Viktoryia Klyauko is new to the building. Her story itself resembles a book narrative that began with the unplanned purchase of a two-room apartment. The 60s interior has been restored there, and literary meetings are now held. One thing remains unclear — who chose whom: the apartment chose Vika or she chose it? The result of all coincidences is that within these walls, the girl finished her first novel "Vyrai", which is being prepared for a production at the Kupala Theatre, writes Realt.by.
How did the Writers' House appear in Minsk?
When talking about a "stalinka" (Stalin-era apartment building), one primarily thinks of its main advantages: high ceilings, thick walls, and interesting locations. But sometimes their value soars because of the people who, only in these rooms, could forget their professions and be like everyone else — simple husbands, wives, and parents. Real legends lived in the five-story building at Karla Marksa, 36. There were more writers and other cultural figures here than there were apartments: some left, and others moved in to take their place.
The daughter of the classic author Tatsiana Shamyakina recalled that Uladzimir Karatkevich moved into Yan Skryhan's three-room apartment on the fifth floor, Viachaslau Adamchyk into Yanka Bryl's apartment, Viachaslau Rahoysha's family into Kastus Kireyenka's apartment; Ivan Hramovich's dwelling went to Ryhor Siemashkevich and his wife Natasha — Yanka Bryl's daughter and an editor at the "Literature and Art" publishing house. For some time, Ivan Shamyakin and Ivan Melezh lived on the same landing, and Piotra Hlebka, Ivan Navumyenka, Vasil Vitka, Pilip Piastrak, Nil Hilevich also received their desired square meters here.
The first apartment in the house went to Yanka Maur. He chose it himself. One of the founders of Belarusian children's literature was also the initiator of the construction of this five-story building, which was designed by Avel Bregman. Two entrances were built with the Litfond's own money, while the third was paid for by the Minsk City Council. The location was not chosen by chance. In the middle of the last century, a two-story building housing the Union of Writers stood near the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus building (today – the Administration). Thus, it was easy for authors to get to work. The construction of the "stalinka" took two years. 32 apartments were completed in 1953 for the November 7 holiday.
Famous literary figures also worked on their creations in their apartments. According to stories, a walk near this house was often accompanied by the sound of typewriters.
What commercial premise best fits a writers' house? A bookstore, of course. Only earlier it was called "Palitkniga" (Political Book), and now — "Belkniga" (Belarusian Book). Local residents also came in to browse new manuscripts. Back then, few recognized the classics by face, which led to interesting situations.
— Melezh's daughter recalled that her father could pick up a book and start reading it right in the store. He would get so engrossed that he'd forget about his daughter and other people. The salesclerks, of course, didn't like this. After half an hour, they would interrupt him, hinting that it was time to buy the book, — Vika recounts. — In the second-hand book section of this store, copies from Karatkevich's personal library were displayed. The writer would sell them when he was short of money. Even decades after his death, books with his signature could be found on the shelves for a small price.
Today, most Minsk residents know this building because the entrance to the "Kupalauskaya" metro station is on the ground floor. For this purpose, the five-story building had to be slightly rebuilt in 1990.
The story of how Vika and her husband pretended to be buyers just to see a "stalinka"
Vika has no relation to the families of the classic authors, but she knows a lot about their years here. A few years ago, she and her husband became the owners of a two-room apartment. The girl laughs that they still don't understand how it happened.
— When I hint to my husband about a bouquet of flowers, he reminds me that he gave me a "stalinka" — the best gift for all holidays.
The girl doesn't argue, because after such a purchase, her life drastically changed. Several of her creations appeared within these walls, including the novel "Vyrai", but more on that later.
— I always say that the apartment chose me. My husband is an expert on new buildings, modern courtyards, but I always liked "stalinkas". At that time, we lived in an ordinary panel building. I had never been in historical Minsk apartments. Stucco, creaky parquet, a grandma-neighbor, and chestnuts outside the window — that's my idea of "stalinkas". In August 2021, I shared my small dream on social media: to get into such an apartment to breathe the air of antiquity. My real estate agent subscriber wrote that there was a private sale of a "stalinka" in the center of Minsk. He invited me for a small tour. It would have been a sin not to take advantage, so I suggested to my husband that he join me as potential buyers. Although even then it seemed strange, as buying real estate was not in our plans, — the girl recalls with a smile.
Vika admits that she knew nothing about the history of the house. They arrived at the designated courtyard and waited for their turn to view the apartment. Inside, they were met by an intelligent man. Word for word, it turned out that the two-room apartment belonged to his mother-in-law, Natalia Semashkevich — the wife of poet Ryhor Semashkevich and daughter of Yanka Bryl.
— I remember I really liked the smell of the apartment: a soft, sweet aroma. The rooms were flooded with sunlight. Everything was just as I had visualized: chestnuts outside the window, and a grandma living next door. After hearing stories about Maur, Bryl, Krapiva gathering here at the kitchen table, the value of the apartment in my eyes instantly increased tenfold.
At that time, Vika had just sold a successful handmade carpet business to immerse herself in writing.
— The fact that I accidentally ended up in such a wonderful place felt like a sign of destiny to me.
However, potential buyers with cash in hand had already been found. They were supposed to come right after the couple. But the sellers changed their decision upon hearing that Vika was an aspiring writer preparing to enter the Gorky Literary Institute.
— For them, this apartment was a precious place where they had lived their happiest moments — from celebrating weddings to the birth of children. The dwelling had been vacant for about 8 years. It seemed that money didn't play a primary role for the family. The two-room apartment was even listed below market price. It was important for them to find good hands for it, — the girl recounts. — So we — people who weren't planning to buy real estate — decided on an adventure in half an hour. I didn't even have to persuade my husband. To raise the necessary sum, we needed time — we sold our one-room apartment, which we had been renting out, and borrowed the remaining amount from our parents. Natalia Ivanovna's family also needed time to gather and move their belongings. That's where we agreed.
They did an (im)perfect renovation to preserve the spirit of writing
Vika notes that their 85-square-meter apartment is considered modest. In the neighboring entrance, there are options starting from 100 square meters, with built-in studies.
— The goal of the renovation was to recreate the ambiance in which the Belarusian elite lived. The two-room apartment had to be slightly altered in the corridor area. It was angular and long. Because of this, the space lacked natural light. We combined the corridor with the kitchen, and we got a spacious hall that is lit from two sides.
They combined the toilet and bathroom in the two-room apartment. The bathroom with a window was decorated in the style of the 60s. Vika even found square tiles similar to those in the building's entrance hall.
— Of course, I wanted to preserve everything. It felt as if, by removing the wallpaper, I was releasing the air that the classics had breathed. I imagined walking on the parquet they had walked on, — the girl shares. — We fought for it until the very end. For a long time, laminate lay on top, which seriously affected the condition of the wood. So, we simply bought the same parquet and laid it in the rooms exactly as it was. But for the corridor and kitchen, we chose tiles.
During the renovation, under layers of wallpaper, the couple found a butterfly drawing — "a symbol of rebirth". Such discoveries instantly became signs that further motivated them.
Years had turned the layers of wallpaper into cardboard, hiding yellowish walls beneath.
— I walked around construction stores with a piece of the wall, looking for the same shade, — Vika laughs. The girl wanted to give free rein to the cracks that had been hidden on the ceiling under plasterboard for many years. Such requests greatly surprised the construction team. — They almost made me sign a disclaimer, saying there would be no claims later. Moreover, we had a master craftsman known for his perfectionism in working with walls. I, however, asked him for the opposite, including the cracks. He was under such stress: he didn't sleep, constantly asked me if I was sure, insisted on leveling. After some time, I got what I wanted. I recorded a voice message starting with the words: "Andrei, the cracks have appeared!" After that, he stopped the recording and couldn't listen to it for several days. He was worried that everything would have to be redone, while I was praising his work there. Every time I see a new crack, I walk around satisfied, because the apartment is alive.
The second room was designated as a bedroom. Wall panels with a wood pattern give the space a sense of solidity. The family doesn't live here, but Vika occasionally stays overnight.
Furniture and decor filled the rooms over time. Authentic items and, of course, books were sought for here. Previously, every apartment in this house had its own library. Authors good-naturedly competed with each other. Viktoryia dedicated an entire wall in the living room to bookshelves. It turned out that in the past, they were in the same place. Guests and family friends brought works here, but Vika calls the books gifted by Natalia Ivanovna the most valuable copies. One of them is a collection by her husband. The book remained in the apartment the entire time. The woman wanted it to stay there. The former owner has only been to the apartment once since the sale, but has not yet seen the results of the renovation. Vika is still shy about inviting her, worrying if she will like it. We agreed that our interview would be the starting point.
Opposite the library stood an old piano — a gift from pianist Alexander Orlovich.
— There are also things from my family here. For example, my grandmother's tea set. It sat behind glass its whole life, waiting for a celebration that would never come. A couple of months before my grandmother's death, I asked her to take it out. We finally drank tea from it. Now I constantly think of her when I use it.
The story of how Vika brought literature back to this apartment
— I once stumbled upon an article by a journalist who wrote that literature in this house had been pushed to the sidelines. Her words really struck me, because over the years, there truly were fewer and fewer writers here. Even during my first acquaintance with this apartment, I had ideas about holding thematic meetings and book club gatherings here. We immediately prepared it so that one day it could become a living museum of this house.
Vika approached the naming seriously, but couldn't find anything better than the house's existing name — "ManaLIT". By meaning, it fits perfectly: the former residents of this "stalinka" truly laid a strong foundation for Belarusian literature.
Within the walls of her apartment, Vika not only nurtured a public project but also transformed a 16-page short story into a full-fledged novel. Her work won the "LitUP" competition, after which the "Mastatskaya Litaratura" (Artistic Literature) publishing house offered to publish the full novel.
— When I came to the publishing house to sign the contract, I learned that Natalia Ivanovna had once worked there. At that moment, I was even sitting at her former workplace. I considered this a kind of sign of destiny too.
Vika was passionate about literature from childhood. Her mother had to send her daughter outside so she wouldn't ruin her eyesight. As a teenager, she wrote daily notes about her life, kept diaries, and, like many, dreamed of creating something of her own. She connected her profession with language studies and then fully immersed herself in family, motherhood, and her first business. Everything changed dramatically just before buying the "stalinka". Vika wrote a few pages of a story that spread among friends and acquaintances. Their support helped her believe in herself and motivated her to enroll in the Literary Institute, where Karatkevich and Adamchyk studied. This year, the girl is submitting her diploma, and around the same time, her third child is expected to be born.
— My teacher once said: "the harder a writer's life is, the better their texts." And it's true. At a conscious age, we look at our childhood differently. Mine wasn't bad. No, it was classic, with parents' divorce and their reconciliation. Adult problems were obvious, no matter how hard they tried to hide them. In difficult situations, people behave differently: some are mobilized, others are paralyzed. I always retreated into my own world, where I created a safe reality. Imagination came to my aid. I tried to express my feelings and emotions through drawing, knitting, but it worked best in text.
The theme of the novel "Vyrai" is connected with a great loss in Vika's family — the loss of her grandmothers. They were the threads that connected all relatives.
— In one year, I stopped being a granddaughter. At that moment, I came face to face with the terrible fact that only my parents stood between me and the edge. And who will tell the stories that our loved ones take with them? The main characters of my novel are composite images: there's something from me and my parents. My work brought my mother to tears. My father kept his lips tightly pressed during the presentation, — Vika recalls her parents' reaction. — My sister was also shocked, but then she said so amusingly: "I thought you were normal, but look how you see everything."
Not long ago, Vika managed to find and buy the village house where her mother and grandmother grew up.
— "Never again" is a very powerful taste enhancer. Loved ones are gone, but what they touched still exists. If it weren't for this house, we wouldn't have a reason to go to the village, nowhere to gather as a large family. It is the foundation of traditions. Essentially, my family "monolith".
Last year, Vika's novel was presented in a staged reading format on the Kupala Theatre stage, which is a significant event in itself. Her "Vyrai" is also being adapted into a full-fledged play, on which she is actively working with the director.
Readers are picking up the last copies of the third print run of her novel. Soon, the young writer plans to release another manuscript about intergenerational relationships among women in a family.
Our conversation was listened to by nine Belarusian classics. Their portraits on yellowed paper were found in a second-hand bookstore. Tank, Bykau, Shamyakin, Melezh, Kuzma Chorny with drawn horns. I wonder what they would say about "Vyrai"?
— Oh, it's hard to say. I think Ivan Melezh would understand me. His works also have many deep monologues. Karatkevich, perhaps, wouldn't appreciate it, even though he was a romantic. I don't know, I hope they would be happy.
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