Demonstration of anger has nothing in common with criticism, Chairman of the Belarusian Writers' Union Nikolai Cherginets said during the union's congress on 29 November.
“There are critics who have harnessed the Internet and now use it to demonstrate their rage. Instead of talking about literature and discussing new books, they smear and offend the writers whose works are the best examples of the contemporary Belarusian literature,” Nikolai Cherginets said.
The idea to establish an institute of criticism is highly relevant today. Professionals should work on its establishment. “In periodicals, we sometimes read materials written by amateurs. These articles are biased and give no thorough analysis of literary works. Every author writes in a manner he believes to be appropriate. And the role of a critic is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of his work,” Nikolai Cherginets noted.
He added that young critics tend to be too soft on works by writers of their age, so that sometimes the first work of a young author is treated as equal to the works of recognized writers. Nikolai Cherginets believes it is necessary to increase the number of competitions, conferences for fledgling writers and poets to promote their professional and creative growth. Nikolai Cherginets suggested that the jury of such competitions should not include members of the Writers' Union to prevent allegations of biased decisions on the awards.