Nobleman Zavalnia, or Belarus in Fantastical Tales

The first complete English translation of a founding work of Belarusian literature.

First published in the 1840s, Nobleman Zavalnia, or Belarus in Fantastical Tales is one of the earliest works of Belarusian literature. At Zavalnia’s hearth, peasants, nobles and wanderers spin stories of witches, restless souls, enchanted forests and haunted battlefields. Their tales reflect a society still bound by serfdom, set against the strange years of 1816–1817, after the “year without a summer.”

Written decades after the Russian Empire’s annexation of much of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where Belarusian lands lay, Barszczewski’s collection blends folklore, folk horror and political allegory. Behind its supernatural figures and uncanny landscapes lie the encrypted memories of a people struggling to preserve their identity.

About this edition

The complete text of Nobleman Zavalnia, together with two companion tales: The Wooden Old Man and the Insect Woman (1847) and A Soul Not in Its Own Body (1849). Translated from the Polish by Olya Ianovskaia, Belarusian-Canadian literary translator and founder of Grunwald Publishing.

Formats

• Trade Paperback: available now. Black & white, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 422 pages. ISBN 978-1-7383142-2-5
• EPUB: available now. ISBN 978-1-7383142-3-2
• Premium Illustrated Hardcover: expected December 2026. Full colour, 8 × 10 in, 304 pages, illustrated by Belarusian artist Nasta Lee. ISBN 978-1-7383142-9-4

Read it with

Remnants of the Ancient Worldview among Belarusians by Adam Bahdanovich, the ethnographic record of the beliefs behind these tales.

• Author: Jan Barszczewski (Ян Баршчэўскі)
• Translator: Olya Ianovskaia
• Illustrator: Nasta Lee
• Original title: Szlachcic Zawalnia, czyli Białoruś w fantastycznych opowiadaniach (1844–1846)
• Publisher: Grunwald Publishing, Canada