Lithuanian literature

Lithuania has a rich but fraught history marked by turmoil, political power struggles, war, annexation, and occupation, all of which are reflected in Lithuanian literature. The country’s deep history of profound sadness and foreign oppression, as well as its long-prevailing Christianity, have informed much of the country’s works. Lithuanian literature, rooted in often archaic folk tales, can be broken down into several distinct historical phases. Christian religious texts prominently marked the early years. The Medieval period (thirteenth through sixteenth centuries) brought much political influence, and the Renaissance (seventeenth century) saw authors glorifying the nobility as descended from ancient Rome. The Baroque period (eighteenth century) brought drama and poetry, while the National Revival (nineteenth century) ushered in Lithuanian language and national romantic topics, including nature, glorious history, and ethnic traditions. Works of the time promoted Catholicism and denounced alcoholism, and the struggle for independence from Russian rule was a defining topic. In modern times writers address Lithuanians’ national identity.

Background

In the fifteenth century, Lithuania stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea and was the largest state in Europe. It was part of a successful and powerful Commonwealth with Poland. However, by the seventeenth century, this union was severely weakened by a political system in which only the Polish nobility enjoyed the privileges of democracy. A series of lost wars wiped out the union’s power position. In the late eighteenth century, Lithuania was annexed by Prussia, Austria, and Russia. Its main territories fell under the rule of Russia, which banned the Lithuanian language and suppressed the favored Catholic religion.

Two unsuccessful revolts sought to restore Poland-Lithuania, but in the late nineteenth century, several leaders emerged during a nationalist movement. This National Revival struggled in vain to free Lithuania from both Russia and Poland. Restoration of statehood only became possible after World War I, when the Russian empire crumbled and Germany was defeated. However, this brief period of prosperity and freedom ended during World War II, when Lithuania was occupied once by Nazi Germany and twice by the Soviet Union. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered, tortured, or exiled to Siberia, the intellectual elite was obliterated, and the nation was left with deep economic, psychological, and spiritual scars.

After nearly fifty years of occupation, Lithuania experienced a dynamic shift and resurgent liberty when the Soviet Union crumbled, and the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. In March 1990, the Baltic nation reclaimed its independence and regained its place on the world map. The year 1989 is widely considered the best starting point to begin the story of contemporary Lithuanian literature, but the preceding years are marked by distinct periods in which overriding political, economic, and spiritual forces defined the output of the writers.

Overview

Poetry remains among the most popular forms of literature in Lithuania. Nineteenth-century Roman Catholic priest Jonas Mačiulis (pseudonym Maironis) is lauded as the patriarch of Lithuanian poetry and the country’s most famous poet. Key twentieth-century writers who have contributed to the body of Lithuanian literature are poet, editor, critic, and children’s author Bernardas Brazdžionis; poet, historical linguist, and playwright Vincas Krėvė-Mickievičius; short story writer Jurgis Savickis; poets Jonas Aistis and Kazys Binkis; and short story writer Jonas Biliūnas. The leading practitioner of short stories in the early 2020s was Danutė Kalinauskaitė.

Lithuanian authors initially used Latin and Polish as their primary literary languages. They began publishing books in their native language in the sixteenth century, but this was banned under Tsarist Russian control in the nineteenth century. With the rise of nationalism, writing in Lithuanian resumed in 1904. Throughout the twentieth century, Lithuanian literature experienced historical transformations amid frequent turbulence and ideological pressure. After the country won its independence in 1990, independent and freely composed Lithuanian literature returned to its natural course: creative and uncensored.

Early published works were primarily religious in nature. The first-known Lithuanian printed book is Catechism by M. Mažvydas (1547), followed by the religious writings of J. Bretkūnas, or J. Bretke. In 1701, the Lithuanian translation of the New Testament was published and, in 1727, the whole of Scripture. The first Lithuanian dictionary, K. Širvydas’s Dictionarium trium linguarum (1629), is notable among non-religious publications.

Nineteenth-century Themes and Styles

Works of the nineteenth century are known for political and nationalist themes. The first modern Lithuanian periodical was Aušra (“Dawn”), founded in 1883 by Jonas Basanavičius. This cultural and political magazine, which significantly influenced the development of the Lithuanian national movement, gave its name to the literature of the next generation. The nineteenth century also saw a surge of secular books, including grammars, dictionaries, and the first collections of folk songs.

The nineteenth century produced many outspoken poets. The most significant work of the period was Metai (The Seasons), an epic poem written in hexameters by Kristijonas Donelaitis about 1770 and published posthumously in 1818. It depicts village life throughout the year and shows German influence. “Tautiška Giesmė,” an 1898 poem by leading nineteenth-century publicist and short-story writer Vincas Kudirka, became the national anthem of independent Lithuania. During the first half of the century, a new movement was afoot to create a Lithuanian literary language and foster a new Romantic interest in the country’s early history. A surge of Western influence appeared in the wake of the French Revolution, notably in the poetry of Simanas Stanevičius and Dionyzas Poška. The literature of this era sought to rally Lithuanians against Russia’s political control and Poland’s cultural influence. Despite a Russian ban on printing Lithuanian writings in Latin, Bishop Motiejus Valančius, noted for religious and educational works, and Bishop Antanas Baranauskas, a poet whose greatest work was Anykščių šilelis (The Forest of Anykščiai), carried on this tradition. Other distinguished names were philosopher, poet, and dramatist Vilius Storasta (pseudonym Vydūnas); sensitive short-story writer J. Biliūnas; and literary critic Juozas Tumas (Vaižgantas).

Modern Era

Lithuanian independence dramatically changed the literary landscape. During the 1920s, the Lithuanian people were caught up in the excitement of building a modern nation. The writers also were exuberant about freedom and power and, in fact, were at the center of thought, activity, and organization during the independent years. For the first time, Lithuanian writers felt free to become individualists, and they frantically tried to catch up to the developments of world literature. By the 1930s, writers moved from romanticizing the past to an interest in the psychological depiction of contemporary scenes. Then came yet another historic shift. Communism factored heavily into Lithuanian writings—not by choice—when Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 and again in 1944. Lithuanian writers working in the West tried to further the development of the national literature, and new expressive modes were successfully attempted in the philosophical poetry of Alfonsas Nyka-Niliūnas (1919-2015), in the idylls of J. Mekas, and in the novels of Marius Katiliškis (1914-1980). The genres most favored in the modern era have been the short story and the lyric.

The short story is closely tied to the formative stage of Lithuanian prose in the mid-nineteenth century and its flourishing in the early twentieth century. Post-1950, short story served as the main pulse of Lithuanian prose. The genre allowed for more liberty than the novel because it focuses on personal experience and avoids ideological conflicts.

The novel gained popularity in 1933 with Altorių šešėly (In the Shadow of the Altars) by Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas (1893-1967). The novel tells the story of the life, vocation, and later choices made by the young priest Liudas Vasaris. One of the most popular novels is Balta drobulė (White Shroud) by Antanas Škėma (1910-1961). This 1958 work has been described as a story of catastrophic modernism that fuses post-war nihilism with immigrant life in the United States. The most notorious novel of early independence and a landmark in contemporary Lithuanian literature is Vilniaus pokeris (1989) by Ričardas Gavelis (1950-2002), which provides a detailed record of the death throes of the Soviet regime through the voices of four narrators.

The turn of a new millennium in 2000 brought the essay genre to the fore of Lithuanian literature. Combining classic essay and short fiction, it became the most popular prose of the early twenty-first century and remains an important aspect of contemporary Lithuanian literature. Through essay, writers began to explore the previously unthinkable personal, private, and intimate aspects of life. The most distinguished Lithuanian essay practitioners have been Rolandas Rastauskas (1954-2024), Sigitas Parulskis (b. 1965), and Giedra Radvilavičiūtė (b. 1960). Danutė Kalinauskaitė (b. 1959) began writing important pieces of Lithuanian literature in the late 1980s, but she took a long break from writing before publishing further works, which include Skersvėjų namai (The House of Drafts; 2015) and Baltieji prieš juoduosius (The White Against the Black; 2023).

With a literary history that can be described as one of all-out upheaval, Lithuanian classics tend to seem dated, particularly when it comes to issues modern youths face, whereas, in contrast, Shakespearean English themes may seem eternal. Translated foreign literature has become more popular, especially in school circles, than Lithuanian literature itself, though occasionally, a star author manages a breakout publication that finds great success in Lithuania.

Bibliography

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Cibarauskė, Virginija. “Contemporary Lithuanian Poetry and Its Contexts.” Lithuanian Culture Institute, english.lithuanianculture.lt/lithuanian-culture-guide/literature/poetry. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Dubonis, Artūras, et al. The Lithuanian Metrica: History and Research, translated by Albina Strunga, Academic Studies Press, 2020.

Gailiūtė-Bernotienė, Gabrielė. “Lithuanian Literature Today.” Lithuanian Culture Institute, english.lithuanianculture.lt/lithuanian-culture-guide/literature/prose. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

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“Introduction to Lithuanian Literature.” British Council, 6 June 2017, literature.britishcouncil.org/blog/2017/introduction-to-lithuanian-literature. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

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Vilnius, Inga Janiulytė. “What Lithuanians Read—And Want You to Read about Them.” Deutsche Welle, 20 Mar. 2017, www.dw.com/en/what-lithuanians-read-and-what-they-want-you-to-read-about-them/a-37947466. Accessed 20 Oct. 2024.

Zemaitis, Augustinas. “History of Lithuania: Introduction.” True Lithuania, www.truelithuania.com/topics/history-and-politics-of-lithuania/history-of-lithuania. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.