Donelaitis, Kristijonas

Born Jan. 1, 1714, in Lazdinehlen, in what is now Radviliskis Raion; died Feb. 18, 1780, in Tolmingkehmen, now Chistye Prudy, Kaliningrad Oblast. Lithuanian poet; pioneer of Lithuanian literature; representative of the realistic trend in European literature of the 18th century.

Donelaitis was the son of a peasant. He studied in a school for the poor in Konigsberg and graduated from the University of Konigsberg in 1740. He became pastor of a Lutheran parish in Tolmingkehmen in 1743 and remained there to the end of his life. He also studied optics and music.

During his lifetime, Donelaitis’ works were disseminated in manuscript form; he read them to his parishioners. Six fables (published in 1824) and the poem The Seasons of the Year (published in 1818) have survived. Both the fables and the poem are written in hexameter, reflecting a certain classical influence. In his fables, Donelaitis exposed the injustices and the lawlessness of the powerful and the wealthy and the exploitation of the working people. In the poem The Seasons of the Year, which consists of four thematically independent parts, the life of the serf village of so-called Lithuania Minor in the mid-18th century is realistically depicted, acute social contradictions are exposed, and the discontent of the peasantry with the arbitrariness of the German landlords and the policy of Germanization is reflected. The poem vividly depicts the labor and life of the enserfed peasants, local customs, and the beauty of rural nature. The poem also contains many didactic motifs and instructive, moral, and religious precepts. The power of the artistic images and the rich, lush language place his poem among the classic works of world literature. The poem was highly esteemed by J. W. Goethe and A. Mickiewicz. It has been often translated into foreign languages (German, Polish, Latvian, English, Georgian, and Byelorussian, among others). A complete translation into Russian was made by D. Brodskii in 1946.

Donelaitis’ works achieved their greatest popularity after the establishment of Soviet power in Lithuania. By the resolution of the World Peace Council, the 250th anniversary of Donelaitis’ birth was widely commemorated. Monuments to the poet were placed on his grave and in Vilnius. Archaeological research helped restore his portrait. Numerous research works on his literary legacy have appeared.