Donata Mitaitė (Lithuanian Institute of Literature and Folklore)
A number of poems were written about Vilnius in Soviet Lithuania. They mention the Gediminas Castle, Vilnius University, some churches and architectural monuments, the Neris and Vilnia Rivers, important personalities, such as Daukantas, Adomas Mickevičius, Napoleon, Muravyov ‘the Hangman,’ who became infamous for violently suppressing the 1863 uprising, and others. Often such poems are bright declarations of love to the city, even though they contain clear characteristics of socialist realism, emphasizing Lenin’s visit to Vilnius, stressing the revolutionary fight, the fairness and happiness of the Soviet life. The presentation discusses the works of three Lithuanian poets.
The Vilnius verses written by Tomas Venclova were published only in emigration, because they contained an overly explicit poetical assessment of the Soviet system. In one of Venclova’s youth poems about Vilnius, the city is read like a poetry book; however, in his later poems, Vilnius is a languishing city, buying oxygen for the “price of the soul,” a ship tossed about by a dangerous storm.
Alfonsas Maldonis published more than ten poems in one way or another related to Vilnius. They depict the city as a cozy place, with preserved old architecture and welcoming new residents, who, compared to the city’s long life, are only temporary. Rather early, Maldonis began writing about the suffering quarter, thus subtly referring to the Vilna ghetto. The most painful verses and their outlines about the war and the fate of people who experienced injustice during the Soviet era, about his own and his generation’s conformism remained unpublished.
Judita Vaičiūnaitė inscribed what must had been the most accurate geographic description of Vilnius, especially its Old Town, drawing the city’s streets and alleys. Her poetry contains rich reflections about the often-tragic history of the city and its residents. The assessment of the era in which Vaičiūnaitė lived is also clear, although not immediately apparent, in her poems.
Three poets, who wrote during the Soviet era, attempted to tell the truth about the city and the time they lived. Some poems were published in emigration, while others either remained unpublished or required an especially attentive reader in order to recognize the life hidden behind the historical depictions.