March 16: the Day of the Book Smugglers

March 16^th 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 16^th 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.