Vytautas Mačernis (5 June 1921 – 7 October 1944) was a Lithuanian poet.

Biography

Mačernis was born in the village of Šarnelė (now in

Plungė district municipality Plungė District Municipality ( lt, Plungės rajono savivaldybė, Samogitian: ''Plongės rajuona savivaldībė'') is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. Tourism and pilgrimage Major tourist attraction is Lake Plateliai and nearby town Platel ...

), to the parents Vladas Mačernis and Elžbieta Mačernienė was the 2nd eldest among his 13 siblings (of whom 6 died in early childhood). He grew up in his home village, where he wrote most of his poems. His grandmother, who died in 1944, appears in most of his poems as a warm and pleasant memory, as the poet's relation with his grandmother was much closer than the one with his mother. In 1935 he finished Seda Progymnasium and continued his education in Telšiai Gymnasium. It was in the gymnasium that Vytautas started writing poems. His biographers describe his personality as withdrawn and thoughtful during those years. Vytautas Mačernis studied English language and literature in Kaunas and philosophy at the

University of Vilnius 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 ...

. He would attend lectures related to Lithuanistics, as well as those delivered by Vincas Krėvė,

Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas Vincas Mykolaitis, known by his pen name Putinas (literally '' Viburnum'') (6 January 1893 in Pilotiškės, Suwałki Governorate – 7 June 1967 in Kačerginė), was a Lithuanian poet and writer. He was also a priest, but renounced his priesthoo ...

, take part in the seminars by

Balys Sruoga Balys Sruoga (February 2, 1896, in , Kovno Governorate – October 16, 1947, Vilnius) was a Lithuanian poet, playwright, critic, and literary theorist. Early life He contributed to cultural journals from his early youth. His works were publis ...

. In 1943 when the university was shut down during the Nazi occupation, he went back to his home village, where he self-studied

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, translated works of Oscar Milosz, studied French, having had plans to study at the University of Paris, the Sorbonne. Mačernis was keen on languages and could speak German, English, French, Italian, Russian, Latin and Greek, apart from his native Samogitian and Standard Lithuanian ones. Mačernis died in 1944 after a splinter of artillery projectile explosion hit his head.

Works

His first poem was published in 1936, the last one – in October 1944.

References

External links

Poems by Vytautas Mačernisl
1921 births 1944 deaths Lithuanian male poets Existentialists Civilians killed in World War II Vilnius University alumni People from Plungė District Municipality 20th-century poets {{Lithuania-poet-stub