SILVESTRAS
GIMZAUSKAS, (1844-1897), Roman Catholic priest and poet, born in
Kirdeikiai in 1844. He graduated from the Theological Seminary of Vilnius
and from 1877-1878 continued his studies at the St. Petersburg Theological
Academy. Illness forced him to discontinue his studies in St. Petersburg and
return to Lithuania, where he was assigned to various parishes in the
Vilnius diocese. Being a fervent Lithuanian patriot, Gimzauskas firmly
resisted Russian rule in Lithuania and zealously distributed forbidden
Lithuanian books published in the Latin alphabet. (See Press Ban). He also
condemned the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Lithuania which, along with the
nobility, had succumbed to the Polish cultural influences and refused to
allow the use of the Lithuanian language. Because of his militancy,
Gimzauskas encountered many difficulties; for example, he was demoted from
his post as deacon of Merkine parish to the position of vicar at Giedraiciai
parish. Falling ill, he went to Warsaw to recover and there, on September
27, 1897, he died. Gimzauskas' best known work is a collection of poetry
entitled Lietuvos biciuolis (The Friend of Lithuania, 1881). In this
work he brings out his Iove for the Lithuanian language and shows the
importance of the Lithuanian language to the nation. He also portrayed
Lithuanian history in a romantic manner. In its own way, Gimzauskas' poetry
foreshadowed the work of the well-known Lithuanian poet of the national
reawakening era, Maironis, who used the same patriotic themes but in a much
more artistic manner.
