Sasha Filipenko

Sasha Filipenko is a Belarusian writer, journalist, and TV show host. His books were translated into more than 15 languages. His play The Ex-son was banned in Belarus and premiered in Kyiv, Ukraine, instead. In 2021 PEN International declared Filipenko a victim of censorship. He currently lives in Switzerland with his wife and son, since it is dangerous for him to come back to Belarus. For openly opposing Alexander Lukashenko and supporting Maria Kalesnikava Filipenko can be prosecuted - official press (Sovetskaya Belorussiya – Belarus' Segodnya) mentions quotes of the Criminal Code (articles up to 12 years in prison) that can be applied to Filipenko.
Biography
Filipenko was born in Minsk into a mixed Russian-Ukrainian family, studied in an arts lyceum, and got his BSc (2007) and MSc (2009) in literature in Saint-Petersburg University. Filipenko worked at the Russian independent TV channel Dozhd.
Filipenko's books were staged in a number of theatres including Russia's leading avant-garde theatre Gogol Center and classical Alexandrinsky Theatre. His books became best-sellers in Germany and the Netherlands, were recommended by Oprah book blog. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine British daily newspaper The Guardian published his widely discussed article regarding the background of the ongoing war and the Belarus, Russia and Ukraine "dysfunctional family affair".
In 2023 Ukrainian director Sasha Denysova staged Filipenko's play "Tikhari" in the Lithuanian Old Theatre of Vilnius with independent Belarusian actors, who had to leave Belarus due to political repressions.
Political activism
During the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, Filipenko wrote a number of articles harshly criticizing the Lukashenko regime and calling for political prisoners release in Belarusian Russian, German, British, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, and French press. In 2021 he wrote an open letter to the president of International Ice Hockey Federation René Fasel against holding an International Hockey Championship in Belarus, that was published by several European newspapers, including German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung, Swedish Aftonbladet, and Polish Gazeta Wyborcza.
Filipenko wrote an open letter to International Committee of the Red Cross's president because the organisation refused to inspect Belarusian prisons, where political prisoners were tortured after the protests.
In 2022 he spoke at the Munich Security Conference together with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Bibliography
2013 - "Птицы лёгкого поведения" ("Птушкі лёгкіх паводзінаў")
2014 - Бывший сын (French edition)
2015 - Замыслы
2015 - "Петю укусила собака" for the antology "Стоп-кадр. Ностальгия"
2016 - Травля
2017 - Красный крест (English edition) (French edition)
2019 - Возвращение в Острог
2020 - "Новая волна" (literary edition of the Esquire)
2022 - Кремулятор
Awards
2011: Diplome of the Belarusian PEN club
2014: Znamya magazine award
2016: Big Book Award - shortlist
2016: Snob award: Made in Russia
2020: Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award - Reader's Choice
References
External links
Belarusian male writers
Belarusian journalists
1984 births
Living people
Belarusian people of Russian descent
Belarusian people of Ukrainian descent