King Stakh's Wild Hunt

"Uładzimir Karatkievič must be by far the most loved writer of Belarusians of all ages and status. He worked in the genre of historical novel and basically revived Belarus for many through his writing, which is so saturated with love for Belarus, such care for its people, nature, language, tradition, historical and cultural heritage, that you catch it when reading his books. Unfortunately, only one of his novels has been translated into English. Karatkievič is considered to have started the genre of historical detective novel in Belarusian literature. King Stakh’s Wild Hunt is kind of a romantic gothic thriller, charged with local folklore, landscapes and twists. Set in the castle of Marsh Firs in the Belarusian countryside, it’s led by a young folklorist who investigates a legend of a group of hunters riding black horses, with a pack of wild black dogs, causing mayhem in the area. There are some elements of the supernatural, there’s mystery, but also tension, suspense, twists of the plot and a lot of Belarus — from names to landscapes to characters. If you want to imagine what Belarus was like in the 1860s, this is a good read. Its particular importance lies in the fact that Belarusian literature has been considered, unjustly, provincial—not as great as Russian, not a member of the European literature family worthy of interest. Even Belarusians themselves, unfortunately, because of the school education, find it boring and too sad, but Karatkievič and King Stakh’s Wild Hunt definitely bust this myth."