Jan Zaprudnik ( Belarusian: ''Янка Запруднік'' / Janka Zaprudnik, real name Siarhej Vilčycki Сяргей Вільчыцкі; 9 August 1926 – 26 May 2022) was a Belarusian-American historian and publicist. He was also one of the leaders of the Belarusian community in the United States and an honoured member of the Belarusian PEN-centre.

Biography

Jan Zaprudnik was born into a family of school teachers in what was then the Second Polish Republic. During the

Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 led to the military occupation of Byelorussia until August 1944 with the Soviet Operation Bagration. The western parts of Byelorussia became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941, and ...

, Zaprudnik graduated from the Gymnasium in Baranavičy and studied at a high school there. In 1944, Jan Zaprudnik fled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

because of his likely persecution for collaboration with invaders by Soviet authorities.''Запруднік Янка''.
("Zaprudnik, Janka"). Aradžency Biełarusi. 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2009. Электронная Бацькаўшчына Бібліятэка
(Fatherland Electronic Library). Retrieved 6 August 2009. In 1954, he graduated from the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

faculty of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Later he worked for the Belarusian service of

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

. In 1957, Jan Zaprudnik moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and was a member of the

Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic ( be, Рада Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, Рада БНР, Rada BNR) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has bee ...

working "to ensure that the world did not forget about the Belarusians and their right to their own independent state". In 1969, he received a doctorate in history from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

about Belarusian representatives in the

State Duma of the Russian Empire The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the Governing Senate in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council. It held its meetings in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It convened four time ...

at the beginning of the 20th century and later worked as a professor in

at several universities.

Works

Jan Zaprudnik started his publishing in 1947. During his life, he was a correspondent and an editor of many periodicals of the Belarusian diaspora, including the English-language

Journal of Belarusian Studies The ''Journal of Belarusian Studies'' (formerly the ''Journal of Byelorussian Studies'') is an English language academic journal in the field of Belarusian studies. It was described as “one of the longest lasting Belarusian publishing projects i ...

. Main works in English are: *''Belarus: At a Crossroads in History'' (1993, ) *''Historical Dictionary of Belarus'' (1998, )

Recognition

Zaprudnik was awarded a

Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal The Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal ( be, Мэдаль да стагодзьдзя Беларускае Народнае Рэспублікі) is a medal awarded in 2018 by the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic (the gov ...

References

External links

Biography
at

- interview for

Палітычнае змаганне за Беларусь у царскіх Дзяржаўных думах (1906-1917 гг.)
// ARCHE. 2009. № 1/2. С. 43-217. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaprudnik, Jan 1926 births 2022 deaths People from Karelichy District 20th-century American historians Belarusian emigrants to the United States Belarusian male writers Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni New York University alumni Columbia University staff Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty people People from Mir, Belarus American male non-fiction writers Members of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic American people of Belarusian descent