Hienadz Buraukin

Hienadz Buraukin (Belarusian: Генадзь Бураўкін, August 28, 1936 – May 30, 2014) was a Belarusian poet, journalist and diplomat.

He was born in the village Shuliacina in Vitsebsk Voblast. In 1959, he graduated from the Belarusian State University.

During his career, he was chief reporter of the Soviet state newspaper Pravda in Belarus. In 1969, he helped Zianon Pazniak to publish several articles on preservation of architectural heritage of Belarus.

From 1972 to 1978, Buraukin was chief editor of the Belarus-wide magazine Maladosts, where he published numerous works of Vasil Bykau and Uladzimir Karatkevich. Being member of the parliament from 1980 to 1990, he was one of the promoters of a law that improved the status of the Belarusian language in BSSR.

From 1978 to 1990, he was chief of State Television and Radio-company of Belarus, but was dismissed from the position for granting broadcasting possibilities for members of the democratic opposition.

From 1990 till 1994, Buraukin was accredited ambassador of Belarus to the United Nations. In the 1990s, Buraukin was also head of the Frantsishak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society.

Buraukin was the author of numerous poetic books. Many of his poems became lyrics for songs, including a famous lullaby. For his literature works, he was awarded the Leninist Comsomol Preium of Belarus (1972) and the Janka Kupala State Literature Premium (1980.)

Buraukin died from cancer on May 30, 2014 in Minsk at the age of 77.