First published in Polish in 1846, Nobleman Zavalnia, or Belarus in Fantastical Tales is one of the earliest works of Belarusian literature. At Zavalnia’s hearth, peasants, nobles, and wanderers spin stories of witches, restless souls, enchanted forests, and haunted battlefields. 

Barszczewski’s collection blends folklore, folk horror, and political allegory. Behind its supernatural figures and uncanny landscapes lie the encrypted memories of a people struggling to preserve their identity. With its mix of oral tradition, Gothic imagination, and historical witness, the book has been called “European voodoo,” a distinctively Belarusian contribution to world literature.

The present edition is the first full English translation of Barszczewski’s tales, published together with two companion tales, The Wooden Old Man and the Insect Woman (1846) and The Soul Not in Its Own Body (1849). Translated by Olya Ianovskaia and illustrated by Nasta Lee.