Thousands of Belarusians have gathered in Minsk to bid farewell to prominent poet Ryhor Baradulin. Baradulin was the last Belarusian poet to be awarded the title of the "people's poet," the highest such title in Soviet Belarus, in 1992.He died on March 2 at the age of 79.Baradulin was also known as a prominent translator of international literature into Belarusian.He published around 70 books of poetry, including satiric and children's poems, as well as articles and essays.Baradulin was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 2006.
