Maksim Tank ( Belarusian: Максiм Танк, Russian: Максим Танк, real name Jaŭhien Skurko; 17 September 1912 – 7 August 1995) was a Belarusian Soviet poet, journalist and translator.

Childhood and activism in West Belarus

Jaŭhien Skurko was born into a wealthy peasant family in the village Piĺkaŭščyna ( be, Пількаўшчына), now in Myadzyel District,

Minsk Oblast Minsk Region or Minsk Oblast or Minsk Voblasts ( be, Мі́нская во́бласць, ''Minskaja voblasć'' ; russian: Минская о́бласть, ''Minskaya oblast'') is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center is Minsk, ...

, Belarus. In 1914, his family went to Moscow as refugees from the approaching

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

and lived there till 1922. Because of the hunger in Russia, the family returned to its home village, which by then became part of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

. In 1928, Skurko joined an underground communist youth organization in his school in

Radashkovichy Radashkovichy ( be, Радашко́вічы, russian: Радошкóвичи, pl, Radoszkowicze, lt, Radaškonys) - is a town in the Maladzyechna District of Minsk Region, Belarus. A watershed of the Vileyka-Minsk water system is located in t ...

. Despite good performance in the school, in 1929 he was expelled together with several other pupils for participating in a protest against closure of Belarusian schools by the Polish authorities. He was also expelled from his following school in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...

for participation in student protests. In early 1930s, Jaŭhien Skurko participated in the Belarusian underground communist activism, writing for Belarusian and Polish underground publications. In 1932, he was arrested and placed in the

Lukiškės Prison Lukiškės Prison ( lt, Lukiškių tardymo izoliatorius kalėjimas; pl, Więzienie na Łukiszkach or simply ''Łukiszki''; be, Лукішкі) was a prison in the center of Vilnius, Lithuania, near the Lukiškės Square. Construction Backg ...

in Wilno. In late 1932, he illegally crossed the border with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and joined Belarusian underground group in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

. He was eventually arrested by the Soviet authorities, interrogated by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

and deported to Poland. After his return, he was an activist of the illegal youth branch of the

Communist Party of West Belarus The Communist Party of Western Belorussia ( pl, Komunistyczna Partia Zachodniej Białorusi, KPZB; be, Камуністычная партыя Заходняй Беларусі, КПЗБ) was a banned political party in the Interwar Poland, active i ...

in Wilno and

Navahrudak Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus. In the Middle A ...

. He was several times arrested and spent a total of two years in prison. In 1936, Skurko was admitted into the underground

Career in the USSR

After the annexation of

West Belarus Western Belorussia or Western Belarus ( be, Заходняя Беларусь, translit=Zachodniaja Bielaruś; pl, Zachodnia Białoruś; russian: Западная Белоруссия, translit=Zapadnaya Belorussiya) is a historical region of mod ...

by the Soviet Union, Skurko worked as a culture journalist and as an education administrator in Vilejka. After the beginning of the war, Skurko was evacuated to

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901 ...

and then returned to the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first fo ...

to work as a reporter for several Soviet publications. In 1945 – 1948, Skurko worked as editor at the satirical magazine '' Vozhyk''. From 1948 to 1966, he was editor in chief of the major Belarusian literature magazine '' Polymia''. Since the late 1940s, Skurko held various senior positions in the Belarusian Soviet legislative system. In 1947–1971 he was member of the

Supreme Soviet of Belarus The Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, sometimes translated as Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Вярхоўны Савет Рэспублікі Беларусь), was the unicameral legislature of Belarus between 1991 an ...

; of which he was chairman in 1963–1971. In 1969 – 1989 he was member of the

Supreme Soviet of the USSR The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...

. After

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

regained independence, Maksim Tank admitted being supporter of the Belarusian White, Red and White flag and opposed the controversial referendum to change the national symbols of Belarus organized by president

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука� ...

. Maksim Tank died in Minsk in August 1995.

Selected works

Collections of verses: * ''On Stages'' ( be, На этапах, 1936) * ''The Cranberry Colour'' ( be, Журавінавы цвет, 1937) * ''Under the Mast'' ( be, Пад мачтай, 1938) * ''Sharpen the Arms'' ( be, Вастрыце зброю), ''Through the Fiery Horizon'' ( be, Праз вогненны небасхіл, both 1945) * ''In Order to Know'' ( be, Каб ведалі, 1948) * ''On the Stone, Iron and Gold'' ( be, На камні, жалезе і золаце, 1951) * ''On the Road'' ( be, У дарозе, 1954) * ''The Lightning Track'' ( be, След бліскавіцы, 1957) * ''My Daily Bread'' ( be, Мой хлеб надзённы, 1962) * ''The Gulp of Water'' ( be, Глыток вады, 1964) * ''Listen, the Spring is Coming'' ( be, Паслухайце, вясна ідзе, 1990) * ''My Arch'' ( be, Мой каўчэг, 1994) Poems: * ''Narach'' ( be, Нарач, 1937) * ''Yanuk Sialiba'' ( be, Янук Сяліба, 1942)

Memory

The Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University in

was renamed after Maksim Tank in 1995. There is a monument to Maksim Tank in

Miadziel Myadzyel ( be, Мядзел, ''Miadzieł'' ; russian: Мядель, ''Mjadelj''; pl, Miadzioł; lt, Medilas) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus. It is the centre of Myadzyel District. Myadzyel is located on the eastern shore of lake Miast ...

and a street named after him in

Awards

* People's Poet of Belarus, 1968 * Hero of Socialist Labour, 1974 * Four-time laureate of the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...

* other Soviet and Polish awards

References

External links

Танк Максим
warheroes.ru (in Russian)
Максим Танк (Евгений Иванович Скурко)
Belarusian Academy of Science. bas-net.by (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tank, Maksim 1912 births 1995 deaths People from Myadzyel District People from Vileysky Uyezd Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Eighth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Prisoners and detainees of Poland Communist Party of Western Belorussia politicians Members of the Supreme Council of Belarus Soviet emigrants to Poland 20th-century Belarusian poets Belarusian male poets Belarusian journalists Soviet poets Soviet male writers 20th-century male writers Heroes of Socialist Labour Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland 20th-century journalists