The 450th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Book
Lithuania is awaiting what will probably be the greatest cultural event of the last few decades. This is the 450th anniversary of the first Lithuanian book. We started the preparation works for it ten years ago. At that time the programme of anniversary events and activities had been launched, which was afterwards revised several times until we finally decided on the content only after the establishment of our state independence.
It is clear that it was far easier to prepare rather than implement the programme. According to its size and importance it is a national programme, according to the mechanism of execution a state programme. The execution of the programme has been entrusted to the state commission, appointed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, headed by the Prime Minister, number one person in the country, his deputy is the Chairman of the Committee of Education, Science and Culture of the Seimas; the commission is comprised of representatives of ministries relevant to the programme, heads of scientific and cultural institutions, members of the Seimas, representatives of the Evangelic-Lutheran Church, famous scientists, artists and cultural activists. The whole programme is financed from the state budget. It is planned to execute it in two years, 1996 and 1997 respectively. The latter year according to the Seimas decision has been declared as the Year of the Lithuanian Book.
While preparing the anniversary of the book, the state commission mostly tried to widen the bounds and the outlook of Lithuanian science and culture. It is not accidental that the programme provides for the publishing of 33 books in the period 1996 1997 and not only in Lithuanian. Some of them are devoted to Martynas Mažvydas, the author of the first Lithuanian book and his works, while some of them are related to the researchers of later generation of Lithuanian writing, antique literature, the history of the book. Almost all the manuscripts of those works are at the publishing houses and even the printer's, some of them are about to be finished, some books such as 'The First Lithuanian Book and its Cultural Contexts', historical work 'Lithuanian Book', 'Selected Works' of Andreas Volanus, a humanist of Grand Duchy of Lithuania of the XVI century, have already appeared and received evaluations from the readers. Quite a few measures have been undertaken for the perpetuation of the memory of the first Lithuanian book and its author. A monument to Martynas Mažvydas will be built in one of the best squares of Klaipėda. Its designer R. Midvikis is already forging the monument of grey stone, the opening of which is scheduled for the year of Lithuanian book. Besides that, a special memorial plaque will be unveiled at Vilnius University Library. There are some historically important places in Lithuanian lands of former Lithuania Minor (Eastern Prussia), nowadays in the Russian governed Kaliningrad region. If circumstances permitted we would have liked to build a memorial plaque for Hans Weinreich, the first printer of the first Prussian and Lithuanian book in Kaliningrad (Lith. Karaliaučius, Germ. Königsberg) as well as to fix a memorial plaque for Martynas Mažvydas at the old Evangelic-Lutheran Church of Njeman (Lith. Ragainė, Germ. Ragnit) with a notice about the years he spend there and served as a priest. The Plans of the commission also include the research works of Ragainė church and its surroundings as well as its restoration.
The anniversary of the first Lithuanian book is very much supported by Lithuanian artists. They are preparing an international competition of exlibris, creating commemoration medals, coins, a series of postage stamps, a documentary about the development of Lithuanian book, staging the historical drama Mažvydas by Justinas Marcinkevičius. Several scientific conferences are scheduled to be held in the year of the Lithuanian book. They are especially inspired by university Lithuanian language specialists. International Conferences of book scientists, historians and philologists will be held, articles on the theme of the first Lithuanian book and its author will be published. The Lithuanian Government has established the Martynas Mažvydas award in order to stimulate scientific society. The specialists in Baltic philology both local and foreign as well as experts in Lithuanian philology are invited to participate at the competition.
The commission is attaching significant importance that the commemoration of the first Lithuanian book oversteps the national borders. By the efforts of the Lithuanian national UNESCO committee, having the support of UNESCO members Poland and German, the anniversary of the first Lithuanian book has been included in the calendar of the most notable dates of the nations of the world for the period 1996 1997. On this occasion we have already received invitations to hold exhibitions of the ancient Lithuanian book at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and in that of Germany's national library in Berlin, to participate at various international conferences. An important conference 'Relations of German and Lithuanian Books in the Period of 450 years' was held in Lubeck between June 12 17, 1996. It revealed new and significant layers of cultural relations between the two nations and states. The commission is ready to increase international cooperation: it has invited and will invite scientists of other states to conferences for the presentation of theses for the Martynas Mažvydas award, painters to participate at the exlibris competition as well as international books art triennial, the friends of Lithuania will be invited to the festival events, to get acquinted with Lithuanian cultural values. You are welcome here!
Please contact the state commission on all issues according to this address:
Committee of Education, Science and Culture
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Gedimino str. 53, 2002 Vilnius
Tel.: (370 2) 621 405, fax: (370 2) 615 871
The article below deals with the sources of the first Lithuanian book, historical and cultural circumstances of its appearance, and connections with the present day. The article's author professor, habilitated doctor Domas Kaunas is a famous Lithuanian book scientist, Head of the Book Science Department of Vilnius University, secretary of the State Commission for the Commemoration of the 450th Anniversary of the First Lithuanian Book. The history of Lithuanian book is the dominating field of his research interests.
An Introduction to the article by D. Kaunas in the Magazine VILNIUS