INSTITUTE OF LITHUANIAN LITERATURE AND FOLKLORE

VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of birth of Jonas Mačiulis-Maironis(1862-1932) Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore and Department of Lithuanian Literature of Vytautas Magnus University organize international scientific conference

MAIRONIS AND HIS EPOCH

On the occasion of Maironis’ anniversary, we try to discuss the heritage of the greatest Lithuanian poet, summarize researches of Maironis’ life and works and investigate new problems, explore his personal influence upon the development of Lithuanian literary and cultural canon.The period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a turning-point for Lithuanian culture when unique sphere ofnational literature began to develop,stimulated by the multicultural heritage, and it differentiated according to its means of expression and style; at this time important ideological and aesthetical trends and movements strengthened and intensified. There were times when modernism flourished in the literature of Western and Central Europe,and the nationsconsolidated their literary canons. At the same time the governors of the tsarist Russia suppressed all democratic initiatives in Lithuania, forbade Lithuanians to use their national language in the public cultural life and to publish books in the traditional Latin alphabet.Under the conditions of illegal cultural action Maironis’ collection of verses Pavasario balsai (The Voices of Spring, 1895) was illegally published and it became a foundation of the modernizing Lithuanian literature. Taking into account the impact of Maironis’ verse, the Lithuanian literary canon was established and reformed.Maironis’ works were also recognized as an important power of national revival movement, theyshaped national identity.

We kindly invite researchers of Lithuanian and world literature, history, linguistics, theology and philosophy, and all those who are interested in the problems of humanitarian culture in Lithuania and Central/East Europe.We suggest the themes for presentations:

  • Maironis’ role in the culture of the Lithuanian national revival. Poet’s activity under the conditions of the ban on Lithuanian printing;
  • The relation of Maironis’ poetry to the traditional heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania;
  • Maironis’ role in the history of the Lithuanian consciousness;
  • Texts and contexts of Maironis’ biography;
  • “The Spring of Nations” in Central and Eastern Europe and the figure of the national poet;
  • Reform of the Lithuanian poetics, made by Maironis;
  • Maironis’ references to the cultural movements of the late 19th and early 20thcenturies, i.e. romanticism, neoromanticism, modernism;
  • Comparative researches of Maironis’ works;
  • Maironis as a sociologist and historian; his activity in the field of humanities;
  • Historical and poetical conceptions of Lithuanian nationality and statehood in Maironis’ works;
  • Maironis’ role in the formation process of the Lithuanian literary canon and Standard Lithuanian language;
  • Texts which were left in the margin of the main corpus of Maironis’ oeuvre (theological works, letters and other documents);
  • Clergyman Jonas Mačiulis as an active member of the Roman Catholic Church;
  • Reception of Maironis in Lithuania and abroad;
  • Translations of Maironis’ poetry and his interpretations abroad;
  • Maironis as a translator;
  • Maironis’ poetic paraphrases in the texts of modernism and postmodernism;
  • The problems of the protection, popularization and disseminationof Maironis’ heritage.

Languages of the conference: Lithuanian, English, Polish, Russian. Speakers who intend to make a presentation in languages, which are not mentioned above, should deliver translation into Lithuanian in advance.

Duration of presentations: 15 to 20 minutes.

We invite all the speakers to fill in this form and sendit until 30September, 2012 to the emails: (Manfredas Žvirgždas) and (Eugenijus Žmuida).

International scientific conference

MAIRONIS AND HIS EPOCH

15-16 October, 2012

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