Vincas Mykolaitis, known by his

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Putinas (literally '' Viburnum''); 6 January 1893 – 7 June 1967), was a Lithuanian writer, poet and translator, accorded the honour of being a People's Writer of the Lithuanian SSR in 1963. He was also a Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, but renounced his priesthood in 1935.

Biography

In 1909, Mykolaitis enrolled to the Sejny Priest Seminary, after few years he published his first poem. In 1915, he was ordained as a priest, however he questioned his mission as a priest. Later he continued studies at the Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy. In Saint Petersburg, Mykolaitis published his first collection of poems in 1917. After Saint Petersburg, Mykolaitis continued his studies at the University of Fribourg,

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, and received doctoral degree in 1922. After studies in western Europe, Mykolaitis settled in Lithuania, teaching at the University of Lithuania. During his stay in France, Mykolaitis started to work on his most famous novel — ' (''In the Shadow of the Altars''). The 3-part novel was published in 1933 and caused a scandal in Lithuania as it described a priest doubting and eventually renouncing his calling. In 1935, Mykolaitis renounced his priesthood. In 1940, he started to work at Vilnius University, there he became professor. Other notable works of Mykolaitis were novel ''Sukilėliai'' (Rebels; unfinished) and ''Tarp dviejų aušrų'' (Between Two Dawns). Mykolaitis died in 1967 in Kačerginė near

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and was buried in Rasos Cemetery,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Commemoration

There is Putinas's house museum in his birth home in the village of Pilotiškės. In 2002, a memorial museum of Putinas was opened at Rygiškių Jonas Gymnasium in Marijampolė."MEMORIAL MUSEUM OF VINCAS MYKOLAITIS-PUTINAS"
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References

External links

* Lithuanian Classical Literature Anthology

Retrieved on 2007-09-22 * Lithuanian Classical Literature Anthology
''Altorių šešėly'' (In the Shadows of Altar) text
Retrieved on 2007-09-22 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mykolaitis-Putinas, Vincas 1893 births 1967 deaths 20th-century Lithuanian Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Lithuanian writers People from Prienai District Municipality Academic staff of Vilnius University Academic staff of Vytautas Magnus University University of Fribourg alumni Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Lithuanian-language writers Russian–Lithuanian translators Lithuanian dramatists and playwrights Lithuanian literary critics Lithuanian literary historians Lithuanian male poets Lithuanian translators Soviet dramatists and playwrights Soviet literary critics Soviet literary historians Soviet male poets Soviet male writers Soviet translators Burials at Rasos Cemetery