Jim Dingley
Jim Dingley is a researcher and promoter of Belarusian culture in the UK as well as a translator of Belarusian literature.
Early life
Dingley was born in Leeds on 24 March 1942. After studies of Russian and other Slavonic languages at the University of Cambridge, he became a lecturer at the University of Reading and then the University of London.Researcher and promoter of Belarusian culture
Dingley became involved with Belarusian studies in 1965, after meeting Fr Alexander Nadson. He gave regular lectures at the Anglo-Belarusian Society and contributed a number of articles to The Belarusian Studies.He chaired the Anglo-Belarusian Society for several decades and was one of the original trustees of the Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library, serving in that capacity for nearly 40 years.
Translator of Belarusian literature
Dingley translated into English a number of Belarusian works, including:- “” by ;
- “This Country Called Belarus” by Uładzimir Arłou;
- “Down Among the Fishes” by Natalka Babina;
- “A Large Czeslaw Milosz With a Dash of Elvis Presley” by ;
- "Alindarka's Children: Things Will Be Bad" by Alhierd Bacharevič.
Awards
Dingley was awarded a in 1991 and a Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal in 2019 for his significant contribution to Belarusian studies.In January 2023, Dingley received a PEN Translates award for his translation of Zekameron by Maxim Znak