The Grunwald Journal

Books

Village beliefs and holidays, the Belarusian table, and the books behind them, from the publisher of Belarusian classics in English.

An abandoned house under storm clouds, with wind-bent trees, Ferdynand Ruszczyc, Pustka (Desolation), 1901
Folklore

The Weeping Woman: Belarus's Mourning Ghost

The Weeping Woman of Nobleman Zavalnia weeps in ruined chapels and on forgotten graves, and treasure hunters who dig where she sits find only bones. Here is her...

By Olya Ianovskaia · 6 min read
A pack of wolves running through a snowstorm, painting by Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski
Folklore

The Werewolf of Zavalnia: A Belarusian Werewolf Tale and What It Hid

In Barszczewski's Nobleman Zavalnia, a young peasant is turned into a wolf at his sweetheart's wedding and lives for years with a human mind. Here is the tale,...

By Olya Ianovskaia · 6 min read
A magpie perched on a wooden gate in a snowy field, Claude Monet, The Magpie, 1868–69
Folklore

The White Magpie: The Belarusian Witch Who Was an Empress

In Barszczewski's Nobleman Zavalnia, a snow-white magpie turns into a lady, buys the local gentry with gold and leaves the villages blighted. Here is her tale, the village...

By Olya Ianovskaia · 6 min read
The Belarusian Cookbook open at the bigas spread, with a photograph of the hunter's stew
Food

Inside The Belarusian Cookbook: What's in It and Where to Start

What's inside Aliaksandr Biely's The Belarusian Cookbook: the chapters, ten dishes to start with, how it relates to Polish and Lithuanian cooking, and answers to common questions.

By Olya Ianovskaia · 3 min read
Cover of Two Souls by Maksim Haretski, translated from the Belarusian by Olya Ianovskaia
Books

Belarusian Literature in English: Where to Start

A translator's starting list of eleven Belarusian books in English, from Maksim Haretski's 1919 novel Two Souls to Alexievich, Bykau, Karatkevich and writers working today.

By Olya Ianovskaia · 6 min read
Rusalki gathering in the moonlight by a pond below a village, Ivan Kramskoi, Rusalki, 1871
Books

If You Loved Gogol's Dikanka, Read Barszczewski

Gogol's Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka and Barszczewski's Nobleman Zavalnia are two 19th-century frame tales of village witches and devils. Here is how they compare, tale by...

By Olya Ianovskaia · 6 min read
Souls of the dead hurrying through a forest cemetery on Dziady night, drawing by Stanisław Bagieński, 1904
Folklore

Folk Horror Books: 20 Eastern European Folk-Horror and Gothic Classics

What folk horror is, and 20 Eastern and Central European folk-horror and gothic classics to read, from Gogol, Mickiewicz and Erben to Karatkevich, Tokarczuk and Barszczewski's Belarusian werewolf.

By Olya Ianovskaia · 10 min read
From the Grunwald shelf

Read the books

Two Souls / Дзьве душы: двухмоўнае выданнеMaksim Haretski$27.99Мяккая вокладка
НепрытомнасцьUladzislaŭ Navažylaŭ (Lesley Knife)$20.99Мяккая вокладка
Яблык у валізцыUladzislaŭ Navažylaŭ (Lesley Knife)$27.99Мяккая вокладка прэміум
Tomorrow is YesterdayKastuś Akuła$21.99Мяккая вокладка
Білінгва (Bilingva)Uladzislaŭ Navažylaŭ (Lesley Knife)$27.99Мяккая вокладка
The Belarusian CookbookAliaksandr Biely$60.00Цвёрдая вокладка
Nobleman Zavalnia, or Belarus in Fantastical TalesJan Barszczewski$27.99Мяккая вокладка
Two SoulsMaksim Haretski$19.99Мяккая вокладка
Follow Grunwald

Folk tales, food and new books from Belarus

Animated folk tales, Belarusian words and dishes, and news from the press.

The Grunwald letter

New posts and new books, by email

Folklore, food and Belarusian classics in English, straight to your inbox.

No spam. Unsubscribe any time.