page_title: Lithuanian literature
section_title: 20th-century literature
hierarchical_section_title: Lithuanian literature / 20th-century literature
caption_attribution_description: English: Lithuanian-French poet Oscar Vladislas de Lubicz Milosz (1877—1939). Polski: Poeta i dyplomata litewski i francuski Oskar Miłosz (1877—1939).
context_page_description: Lithuanian literature concerns the art of written works created by Lithuanians throughout their history.
context_section_description: When the ban against printing in the Lithuanian language using the Latin alphabet was lifted in 1904, Lithuanian writers began to experiment with and adopt elements of various European literary movements such as Symbolism, impressionism and expressionism. The first period of Lithuanian independence (1918–40), in the interwar period, gave rise to literature that explored their own society and create characters with deep emotions, as their primary concerns were no longer political.
  The Keturi vėjai movement began with the publication of Prophet of the Four Winds by poet Kazys Binkis (1893–1942). This was a rebellion against traditional poetry. The theoretical basis of Keturi vėjai initially was futurism which arrived through Russia from the West; later influences were cubism, dadaism, surrealism, unanimism, and German expressionism.
  Maironis (1862–1932) is one of the most famous classical Lithuanian poets. He was noted for both dramatic and lyric romantic poetry and has been called “the poet-prophet of the Lithuanian national revival.” He laid the ground for the modern Lithuanian poetry. Maironis' poetry was inspired by the nature and ancient history of Lithuania. The names and deeds of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania are often encountered in his verses. The collection of poems Pavasario balsai (Voices of Spring, 1895) is his most notable work. 
  An outstanding figure of the early 20th century was Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius (1882 - 1954), a novelist and dramatist. His many works include Dainavos šalies senų žmonių padavimai (Old Folks' Tales of Dainava, 1912) and the historical dramas  Šarūnas (1911), Skirgaila (1925), and Mindaugo mirtis (The Death of Mindaugas, 1935).
  Ignas Šeinius (1889–1959), a novelist, a Lithuanian diplomat to Sweden and other Scandinavian countries and impressionist writer. His most notable works are the novel Kuprelis (The Humpback, 1913) and Raudonasis tvanas (The Red Flood, 1940), firstly written in Swedish as Den röda floden. Šeinius describes how the Soviets destroyed the country’s independence, trampled the Lithuanian nation’s patriotism, forcefully introduced the Soviet way of life; how they Sovietized the country’s economy and expropriated private business. The Red Flood serves as an eloquent testimony of those terrible events. His science fiction novel Siegfried Immerselbe atsijaunina (Siegfried Immerselbe rejuvenates himself, 1934) was one of the first novels in Europe denouncing national socialist dystopia.
  Petras Vaičiūnas (1890–1959) was another popular playwright, producing one play each year during the 1920s and 1930s.
  Jurgis Savickis (1890–1952) was a Lithuanian short story writer and diplomat representing Lithuania mostly in the Scandinavian countries. His works often feature sharp and playful wit and irony, elegant and light writing, succinct and finely tuned sentences. His most notable works are the short story collection Raudoni batukai (The Red Shoes, 1951) and his war-time diary Žemė dega (Earth on Fire, 1956).
  Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas (1893–1967) wrote lyric poetry, plays and novels, including the autobiographical novel Altorių šešėly (In the Shadows of the Altars, 3 vol., 1933), in which he described a priest doubting his vocation and eventually choosing a secular life. In 1935 Mykolaitis renounced his priesthood and became a professor of literature.
  The self-educated Žemaitė (1845–1921) published a number of short stories in the early 20th century; her frank and compassionate stories of Lithuanian village life were commemorated by her image on the 1-litas note.
  Vydūnas (1868–1953) was a philosopher, publicist and writer. He was influenced by and joined together in his works classical European and Vedic philosophy. He was interested in Oriental philosophy as a source to revive Lithuanian national consciousness and authentic traditional culture. Main works - Mūsų uždavinys (Our Task, 1911), Tautos gyvata (The Life of the Nation, 1920), Sieben Hundert Jahre deutsch-litauischer Beziehungen (Seven Hundred Years of German-Lithuanian Relations, 1932). In 1940 was nominated for Nobel Pri
caption: Oskaras Milašius
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