1.  Talk by Paul Hansbury – “Is There Such a Thing as “Belarus?”, followed by Q & A
   
   Vladimir Putin doesn’t appear to think there should be an independent Belarus : in his notorious 2021 essay “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” he argued that Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians were a single triune nation. This talk will assess the history of the territory of modern-day Belarus and draw attention to the unique past on which the Belarusian nation draws.Paul Hansbury is the author of the recent published book “Belarus in Crisis ; From Domestic Unrest to the Russia-Ukraine War” , which includes in Chapter 1 a historical overview of the lands which are now Belarus.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Belarus-Crisis-Domestic-Unrest-Russia-Ukraine/dp/1787389383
2.  Vasil Eudakimau introducing his novel “Round Square”, currently only available in Belarusian, but with translation into English in progress.The book is a novel but based on the author’s experience of the last years of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) and first years of the independent Belarus.
   https://gutenbergpublisher.eu/shop/kruhlaja-square/

The meeting will start at 14:30 in Marian House, on Saturday 02/12/2023, and run to the approximate schedule below:

14:30 Welcome – Talk by Paul Hansbury (up to 50 minutes), followed by Comments, Discussion and Q & A. (up to 25 minutes)
15.45 Vasil Eudakimau – brief Introduction to his novel ” Round Square”
16:00 Light refreshments
16:45 – close
17:00 – Departure of all from Marian House