[2] Karatkievich's works are characterized by a romantic focus, a high level of artistic sophistication, patriotic fervor, and a humanistic tone.

[3] This story inspired Karatkievich to depict his ancestor in the epilogue of the Russian-language novella Prehistory (Russian: Предыстория) and the prologue of his novel Leonids Will Not Return to Earth (Belarusian: Леаніды не вернуцца да Зямлі).

His father, Siamion Timafeevich Karatkievich (Belarusian: Сямён Цімафеевіч Караткевіч), likely avoided discussing his modest peasant background, which contrasted sharply with his wife's noble heritage.

His father, Siamion Timafeevich (1887–1959), worked as a budget inspector in the Orsha district financial department and had previously served as a scribe in the Imperial Russian Army.

During his childhood, Karatkievich was strongly influenced by his maternal grandfather, Vasily Hrynkevich (Belarusian: Васіль Грынкевіч, 1861–1945), a former provincial treasurer and a storyteller.

Decades later, in the autumn of 1972, Karatkievich revisited these memories in his autobiographical novella The Chestnut Leaves (Belarusian: Лісце каштанаў), inspired by his wartime experiences.

He was an avid reader, exploring works by classic authors of world literature, as well as Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and Belarusian writers.

In the summer of 1950, after his first year of studies, Karatkevich drafted the initial version of his famous novella The Wild Hunt of King Stakh in his hometown of Orsha.

The summer of 1952, inspired by a trip to Vyazynka—the birthplace of Yanka Kupala—he wrote an essay titled Vyazynka and sent it, along with a letter, to Kupala’s widow, Uladzislava Lutsevich.

Around this time, he also submitted a selection of his early works, including fairy tales, poems, and short stories, to Yakub Kolas for feedback.

His diploma thesis, titled Fairy Tale, Legend, Tradition, sparked mixed reactions but earned the highest grade thanks to the efforts of Academician A. Bialetski and Professor A. Nazarouski.

After graduating, from 1954 to 1956, Karatkevich worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in a rural school in the village of Lisavychi in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine.

Later, he turned to prose and subsequently published a large number of short stories in collections entitled Chazenia, The Eye of the Typhoon, From Past Ages, and others.

[4] Karatkievich also wrote a number of plays, essays, articles, screenplays for short and feature films, and detective and adventure stories.