Today it became known that on April 2, 2026 four new books were added to the list of “extremist materials.”
- Makar, The Last Generation
- Kamiła Cień, Next Stop – Death
- Maks Ščur, Where We Are Not
- Alaksandr Cvikievič, Historical Works. Volume 1
We remind you that the inclusion in the “National List of Extremist Materials” carries severe legal consequences, including administrative liability for producing, publishing, possessing, or transporting the banned book. In practice, the scope of “prohibited acts” is applied excessively broadly. Sanctions range from heavy fines to administrative arrest, creating a powerful deterrent for authors, publishers, and readers.
You can read more in detail about the legal assessment here.
Makar, The Last Generation
“The Last Generation” is a novella about young people in Minsk living ordinary lives in the realities of the post-2020 era. The main character, Mikita, works at an advertising agency, surrounded by people with radically different views on life. He is in an anxious search for the “right” path, while others—like his colleague—choose the path of fighting for the truth, because they cannot simply sit still and wait.
Makar’s debut work is imbued with the apathy and disappointment that prevail today. Yet at the very moment when it seems you are standing on the brink of hopelessness, sparks of hope begin to glow, and you encounter small joys. And then you realize that a good future lies ahead. It all depends on us.
Kamiła Cień, Next Stop – Death
A gripping Belarusian detective story. A young journalist notices a strange scene in the metro, which becomes the beginning of a dangerous investigation. A mysterious disappearance, shadows of the past, and a city that keeps its chilling secrets…
Two new novellas by Kamiła Cień. The adventures of public transport inspector Zinaida Jurjeŭna continue! Even more journeys through the colorful corners of Minsk: this time, the main locations are the Park of the 50th Anniversary of October and the dormitories near Mahiloŭskaja metro station. Even more mysteries that only the unique duo of Jurjeŭna and Harkavy can solve. No worse than Holmes and Watson!
Maks Ščur, Where We Are Not
The debut novel (2004) by Maks Ščur takes place somewhere in a parallel universe that serves as a radically absurd version of Belarus in the “wild” 1990s.
Critics define the genre of the novel as a satirical dystopia, but the book also contains elements of detective fiction, parapsychology, and even the ethnophilosophy of a non-existent ethnic group. In 2004, the manuscript of the novel was awarded the Janka Yuchnaviec Prize, and in 2022, the electronic edition of the book was shortlisted for the Jerzy Giedroyc Prize.
Alaksandr Cvikievič, Historical Works. Volume 1
A collection of works by Belarusian national figure, Chairman of the Council of People’s Ministers of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR) Alaksandr Cvikievič. The book includes historical and socio-political writings, among them Western Ruthenianism, The Revival of Belarus and Poland, and The Institute of Belarusian Culture, which were published as separate books during the author’s lifetime, as well as two brochures devoted to the history of the Belarusian national liberation movement and a number of articles on related topics.
A similar step had already been taken by the Soviet authorities in June 1937. At that time, an order was issued by the Main Administration for Literature of the BSSR to burn all of Cvikievič’s books. In December of the same year, Alaksandr Cvikievič himself was executed in Minsk.