March 16th is celebrated to commemorate the
Lithuanian book smugglers. A group of brave and ingenious individuals defied a
ban and created an underground smuggler network to preserve the Lithuanian
language. The ban resulted from Soviet occupation and sough, through
militaristic efforts, to enforce Russification including a mandate that the
Latin alphabet be replaced with the Cyrillic alphabet (Schwartz, 2015). It is
one story of how a people refused to have their culture and their identity
wiped away. The Book Smugglers became a symbol of Lithuania resistance to
Russification. What were the series of events which led to the need to preserve
their language? Who were the most famous figures of the smuggling networks? How
are they remembered today?
After the Polish-Lithuanian insurrection of 1863, Russia
intensified efforts to Russify the Lithuanian populations and alienate it from
its historic roots, including the Roman Catholic faith. In 1866, Tsar Alexander
II issued a ban on printing or importing printed matter in Lithuania in hopes
to eradicate the native language (Schwartz, 2015). The book smugglers,
including Motiejus Valancius, the Bishop of Zemaitija and Jurgis Bielinis,
organized efforts to print and distribute Lithuanian language texts throughout
the country. When one system was exposed, 5 priests and 2 book smugglers were
exiled to Siberia (Schwartz, 2015); however, another network would quickly be
in its place. By the 1900s, it was obvious the ban had failed, and the policy
was officially lifted in 1904 and completely abolished following the Russian
defeat during the Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905). It
is estimated that between 30,000-40,000 books were smuggled annually with only
one-third being seized by authorities.
As mentioned above, Motiehus Valancius (1801-1875) was the
Bishop of Zemaitija. He made every effort to undermine the Russification and
the tactics used to enforce the government’s policies. He is especially known
for his efforts to finance the printing and distribution of books in the
Lithuanian language. He would organize “the first large-scale attempt to
smuggle books across the Lithuanian border” (Waters, 2017). Jurgis Bielinis
(1846-1918) was one of the main organizers and most famous book smuggler. He is
informally referred to as the King of Book Carriers (Waters, 2017) as he was
active for 32 years and while he had been arrested five times, he was never
tried or sentenced which helped him develop a folk hero reputation. To avoid
being caught, he rarely stayed in more than one place for long, living a
nomadic life moving from one sympathetic family to another. Juozas Masiulis,
one of the book smugglers, opened his own bookstore in 1905 once the ban was
lifted.
The book smugglers became an important part of the
Lithuanian National Revival following the dissolution of the Soviet union, and
were honored with museums, monuments and street names. There is a special
relationship of Lithuanians and books that can be seen in the Vilnius Book
Fair, a highly popular event which is held every February. After Lithuania
gained its independence following the Russia Revolution (8 March 1917 – 16 June
1923), the people built a statue in then-capital of Kaunas, dedicated to “The
Unknown Book Smuggler” (Schwartz, 2015). Jurgis Beilinis’ birthday, March 16,
was chosen as the commemoration date for the Day of the Book Smugglers. In
1988, the Lithuanian Knygnešiai Association was established at the Lithuanian
Culture Foundation. Among its goals was to collect information about all
Lithuanian book smugglers and printers. In 1997, the "Book Smugglers' Wall”
was unveiled at the Vytautas, the Great War Museum.
In conclusion, March 16th is a day of celebration
in Lithuania as they honor the courageous and brave Lithuanians who risked
their lives in order to preserve their culture heritage in their language and
their books. A Catholic bishop, Motiehus Valancius organized a network of book
smugglers as well as other activities in the fight against Russian occupation.
Jurgis Bielinis is a folk hero, a smuggler who was active for 32 years and
avoided severe punishments. Juozas Masiulis, another book smuggler, became a
bookstore owner once the ban was lifted. Lithuania has built numerous monuments
to honor and remember the bravery of the book smugglers. Let’s join Lithuania
as they honor and remember these brave individuals.
References
Schwartz, Dana (March 30, 2015). The Fascinating History
of Lithuania’s Day of the Book Smugglers. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62554/fascinating-history-lithuanias-day-book-smugglers.
Retrieved March 10, 2020.
Waters, Michael (July 19, 2017). The 19th-Century
Lithuanians Who Smuggled Books to Save Their Language. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/lithuanian-book-smugglers.
Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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