Balys Sruoga
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Balys Sruoga (February 2, 1896, in ,
Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was forme ...
– October 16, 1947,
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
) was a Lithuanian
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
, playwright, critic, and
literary theorist Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, mora ...
.


Early life

He contributed to cultural journals from his early youth. His works were published by the liberal wing of the Lithuanian cultural movement, and also in various Lithuanian newspapers and other outlets (such as '' Aušrinė'', '' Rygos naujienos'' etc.). In 1914, he began studying
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, and later in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, due to
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the Russian Revolution. In 1921, he enrolled in the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where in 1924 he received his
Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
for a doctoral thesis on Lithuanian folklore. After returning to Lithuania, Sruoga taught at the University of Lithuania, and established a theater seminar that eventually became a course of study. He also wrote various articles on literature. From 1930 he began writing
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
s, first ''Milžino paunksmė'', later ''Radvila Perkūnas'', ''Baisioji naktis'' and ''Aitvaras teisėjas''. In 1939, he began teaching at
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
. After the Soviet annexation of Lithuania, Sruoga wrot a pro Soviet cantata welcoming the new Soviet government.


Nazi captivity


''The forest of the Gods''

Sruoga's best known work is the novel '' Forest of the Gods'', based on his own life experiences as a prisoner in
Stutthof concentration camp Stutthof was a Nazi concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in a secluded, marshy, and wooded area near the village of Stutthof (now Sztutowo) 34 km (21 mi) east of the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) in the territory of the German- ...
in
Sztutowo Sztutowo (; formerly german: Stutthof) is a village in Nowy Dwór Gdański County, within the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is located about 38 km (24 mi) east of Gdańsk on the northeastern edge of the Vistula Delta, a ...
, Free City of Danzig now present-day Nowy Dwór Gdański County, Pomeranian Voivodeship,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, where he was sent in March 1943 together with forty-seven other Lithuanian intellectuals after the Nazis started a campaign against possible anti-Nazi agitation in occupied Lithuania. In the book, Sruoga revealed life in a concentration camp through the eyes of a man whose only way to save his life and maintain his dignity was to view everything through a veil of irony and humor, where torturers and their victims are exposed as imperfect human beings, being far removed from the false ideals of their political leaders. For example, he wrote "''A man is not a machine. He gets tired.''", referring to the guards beating prisoners. Originally the novel was suppressed by the Soviet officials; it was ultimately published in 1957, ten years after the author's death. In 2005, a movie with the same titled as the book was released. The film '' Forest of the Gods'' became the most profitable film released after Lithuania restored its independence.


Later life

After the Soviets liberated the Nazi camps, Sruoga continued to be held in the same camp. However, in 1945, he returned to Vilnius and continued teaching at
Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
, where he wrote the dramas ''Pajūrio kurortas'' and ''Barbora Radvilaitė''. The authorities' refusal to publish ''Forest of The Gods'' and weak health resulting from his time in concentration camps led to his death in October 16, 1947 (he died going back from Kaunas to Vilnius because of a cold).Baltic Online Lesson 2: Lithuanian
/ref> The 2005 film '' Forest of the Gods'' was based on the book.


References


External links


Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sruoga, Balys 1896 births 1947 deaths 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century poets Lithuanian dramatists and playwrights Lithuanian folklorists Lithuanian male poets Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Moscow State University alumni People from Biržai District Municipality People from Kovno Governorate Saint Petersburg State University alumni Stutthof concentration camp survivors Academic staff of Vilnius University Academic staff of Vytautas Magnus University Burials at Rasos Cemetery