Location

• Vilnius O. Milašiaus gatvė 19, Lithuania 10102
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Languages

• Lithuanian

Website

• https://eais-pub.archyvai.lt/eais/faces/pages/forms/search/F3001.jspx

Name of collection

• Union of writers of LSSR

Provenance and cultural activities

• The Soviet Lithuanian Union of Writers was an influential cultural organisation made up of local writers. It was established in 1940, and reestablished in 1944 with the second Soviet occupation. A Congress of Soviet Writers took place in Vilnius on 25-27 October 1945, giving the final shape to the Union of Writers and approving its membership. The Union of Writers was formed within the framework of the USSR Union of Writers.

  During the Stalinist period, the Union of Writers was active in the sovietisation of Lithuania. Most of the writers who participated in this process tried to adapt to the schematic requirements of cultural production, and avoided themes relating to ethnic values. During the post-Stalinist period, the production of local writers was much more dynamic. The generation of the 1960s, including Justinas Marcinkevičius, Algimantas Baltakis and Alfonsas Maldonis, drew attention to ethnic nostalgia and the cultural heritage. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the younger generation, including Sigitas Geda, Marcelijus Martinaitis and Juozas Aputis, attempted to pursue trends in Modernism, and conflicted with the older generation.

  During the time of perestroika, the Union of Writers emerged in the thick of the social and political changes. Leaders of the Union of Writers participated actively in the national revival in 1987-1989, and were elected to the Sąjūdis Initiative Group, which led the national movement during the Singing Revolution.

  The collection of the Union of Writers was started in 1944, when it began to produce documents. 

Description of content

• The collection consists of documents from the Union of Writers, manuscripts, translation documents, personal files of writers, and financial documents. The most important documents showing the cultural opposition are transcripts of meetings and transcripts of the Congress of Writers. These documents reflect the conflicts between writers in the 1970s, and the context of the national revival at the end of the 1980s. 

Content

• grey literature (regular archival documents such as brochures, bulletins, leaflets, reports, intelligence files, records, working papers, meeting minutes): 1000-

Operator(s)

• Lithuanian Archives of Literature and Art
• Lithuanian Central State Archives

Owner(s)

• Union of Writers

Topics

• literature and literary criticism

Founder(s)

• Union of Writers

Date of founding

• 1944

Place of founding

• Vilnius, Lithuania
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Creator(s) of content

• Union of Writers

Collector(s)

• Union of Writers

Important events in the history of the collection

• Collection was transferred to Central State archive
• Establishment of State archive of Literature and art

Featured items

• Transcripts of 5th Soviet Lithuanian Writers Congress in 1970

Access type

• completely open to the public

Author(s) of this page

• Ivanauskas, Vilius

References

, interview by , . COURAGE Registry Oral History Collection