Vincent Dunin

Belarusian History and Culture. Commemorative coin "Vincent Dunin–Martsynkevich. 200 years".
 

Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič (Belarusian: Вінцэнт (Вінцук) Дунін-Марцінкевіч; Polish: Wincenty Dunin-Marcinkiewicz; c. 1808 – 1884) was a Belarusian writer, poet, dramatist and social activist and is considered as one of the founders of the modern Belarusian literary tradition and national school theatre.

Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkievich was born in a Belarusian Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth szlachta family in the region of Babruysk. He graduated from the medical faculty of the University of St. Petersburg.

He wrote both in contemporary Belarusian and Polish languages. Writing in modern Belarusian language he faced the problem of its being not standardized, as the written tradition of the Old Belarusian (Ruthenian) language had been largely extinct by that time.

From 1827 Dunin-Martsinkyevich lived and worked in Minsk as a bureaucrat. In 1840 he acquired a mansion near Ivyanets and went there to write most of his works.

In 1859 he translated into Belarusian language Adam Mickiewicz's epic poem Pan Tadeusz and published it in Wilno. Under the pressure of Russian Empire authorities he succeeded in publishing only the first two chapters of the poem. This was the first translation of the poem into another slavic language.

Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich was accused by the police in separatist propaganda during the January Uprising. He was arrested but later set free but kept under supervision by the police.

The writer was buried in Tupalshchyna, now Valozhyn rajon.

Belarus 2008 Vincent Dunin CuNi
Obverse: 
ornamental motive of the Sluck belt, used in illustrations of the book of products of V.Dunin–Martsinkevich, in a frame theatrical curtain; at the top – the relief of the State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Belarus and inscription "РЭСПУБЛIКА БЕЛАРУСЬ" (REPUBLIC OF BELARUS); beneath: year of issue, fine silver alloy standard,at the bottom – face value "20 РУБЛЁЎ" (20 ROUBLES) – on silver coin and "1 РУБЕЛЬ" (1 ROUBLE) – on copper–nickel coin; inscriptions along the rim at the top – "РЭСПУБЛІКА БЕЛАРУСЬ" (REPUBLIC OF BELARUS).
Reverse: 
in the center – the relief image of a portrait of Belarus playwright V.Dunin–Martsinkevich; on the right – fragments of playbills; at the upper left of a circle in two lines is an inscription: Vincent Dunin–Martsynkevich and years of his life 1808–1884.

Booklet

Belarus 2008 Vincent Dunin CuNi
Belarus 2008 Vincent Dunin CuNi
Country: 
Catalog ID: 
BY107CM1
Value: 
€10
Mintage: 
3000
Quality: 
Face value: 
Weight: 
13.16g
Diameter: 
32mm
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Shape and style: 
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Mint: 
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