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There is no equivalent in any language of the world „knygnešys“. In other languages this term is often translated as a „book smuggler“. From the point of view of the tsarist Russia our “knygnešiai” (booksellers/book carriers/book distributors) were smugglers. After the rebellion of 1863, when the tsarist government of Russia prohibited the Lithuanian press, the period of “knygnešiai” and “daraktoriai” in Lithuania and beyond began. This period awakened the gigantic potential of the nation, infused people‘s hearts with love for people, language, culture, literature, and books. The future revolutionaries of the future Lithuanian nation grew up and matured in poverty schools, who, when the time came, invited the people to freedom and independence. The towns of Punskas and Seinai gave birth to a large number of “knygnešiai”, who, at the risk of their lives, liberties, personal or family assets, distributed Lithuanian books and press. Among them there were priests and secular people, intellectuals and ordinary people. The Seinai Spiritual Seminary, which was established in 1826, played a vital role in the revival of the Lithuanian nation. It was the distribution centre of illegal books across Užnemunė. The seminarians distributed the press in various ways, they spread it across the dioceze while going on their holidays, distributed it to their relatives who came to the seminary, sent them by post by placing or wrapping it in Russian newspapers. Four manuscript publications were edited in the Seminary. There were a lot of “knygnešiai” in our country. Not all of their names are known to the public today. Some people have almost disappeared from our collective memory. Some of them were from the caste of the clergy, such as Priest Antanas Milukas, Pastors of the Punskas Parish Simonas Norkus and Motiejus Simonaitis. The most well-known among the secular “knygnešiai” were Vincas Markevičius from Giluišiai village, Karolis Petruškevičius from Žagariai, Povilas Matulevičius from Kreivėnai and others. This article focuses on less known or forgotten but worthy “knygnešiai” of our country.

Antanas Trumpulis buvo tautosakos rinkėjo Mato Slančiausko talkininko Jono Trumpulio brolis. Nerasta duomenų, kad A. Trumpulis būtų buvęs brolio Jono ar Mato Slančiausko talkininkas renkant tautosaką. Jis mokėjo lietuviškai skaityti, gaudavo draudžiamos spaudos. Motinos teigimu, sūnus Antanas mokėjo ir latviškai. Domėjosi eilėmis, dainomis, susidaro įspūdis, kad ir pats mėgino eiliuoti. Jo byla – tai būdingas lietuvių spaudos skaitytojų (laikytojų) persekiojimo pavyzdys. Antanas Trumpulis was a brother of Jonas Trumpulis, a helper of Matas Slančiauskas, the collector of folklore. No data were found that Antanas Trumpulis would have helped his brother Jonas or Matas Slančiauskas in the collection of folklore. He could read Lithuanian and could get illegal press. According to his mother, her son Antanas also spoke Latvian. He was interested in poetry, songs, and we get the impression that he himself tried to write poetry. His case is an example of persecution of readers (keepers) of the Lithuanian press.

Nedaug kam šiandien yra žinomas Liudvikas Jakavičius, kurio pavardė jau seniai patekusi į visas lietuvių enciklopedijas, kultūros žinynus... Tačiau šiandienos žmogui šią asmenybę reikia lyg iš naujo atrasti atvertus primirštus XIX a. pabaigos– XX a. pirmosios pusės lietuvių kultūros istorijos puslapius. Šių metų kovo 10 dieną suėjo 140 metų nuo jo gimimo. Šį šviesuolį primena lietuvių kultūros tyrinėtojas Vilmantas Krikštaponis. Liudvikas Jakavičius (1871–1941) is not very well known today. He worked in the Lithuanian press, published books and calendars, and was a theatre director, actor, journalist and book smuggler. His name has long been in all Lithuanian encyclopaedias. However, the contemporary person needs to rediscover Jakavičius through the forgotten pages of the history of Lithuanian culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The cultural researcher Vilmantas Krikštaponis introduces us to those pages.

Straipsnyje pirmąkart aptariama dailės marginalijos – masiškai tiražuoti XIX a. pab. – XX a. pr. katalikų religiniai paveikslėliai, jų funkcijos ir reikšmė. Bandoma apibrėžti, ką būtų galima vadinti lietuviškais religiniais paveikslėliais, nagrinėjamos jų ištyrimo, apskaitos problemos ir aktualijos. Pristatoma pagrindinio tuo metu lietuviškų paveikslėlių leidėjo, nepelnytai pamiršto knygnešio, spaudos darbuotojo ir Krokuvos lietuvių studentų šelpėjo Juozapo Angrabaičio (1859–1935) veikla. For the first time, the article discusses the marginalia in the art and writings – catholic devotional images, which were printed en masse in the late 19th – early 20th century, their functions and importance. A high number of remaining small-format lithographies, chromolithographies as well as copper, steel and wood engravings and other printed material is an indicator of the religiosity of our ancestors and an instrument of religious media, religious literacy and the spread of various religious cults. This is an implementation of the respect and recognition of the Saints, which served as a source of ecclesiastical iconography, as an example for those who created images for churches and rural environment (e. g. folk sculptures for memorial monuments). On the other hand, the abundance of pictures reflected the intensity of the devotional industry and trade relations as well as the fashion trends. In addition, pictures have an intimate and personal aspect. Their main function was not only to inspire the believer in prayer, but also as a memory which recalls various occasions or persons. The commemorative printed or handwritten texts of prayers in Lithuanian as well as the description of the First Communion, all kinds of religious events and holidays, donation, remembrance of the deceased, etc. are a reflection of the national literacy and pledge. In the context of the Lithuanian press ban and low literacy, they are important as small monuments of the written language and contrafactions and are attributable to the phenomenon of book smuggling. An attempt is being made in the article to define what may be termed as Lithuanian religious pictures as well as problems of their research and inventorying. Because of the polyvalence of pictures (images, printed texts, records made by hand, different printing techniques), they may be attributed to the works of graphics and small prints. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a united registry. Hence, cooperation between bibliographers and art historians in preparing the registry is in need. On the other hand, the identification of the publisher is challenging. After all, many pictures are imported and reprinted. The activity of the main publisher and distributor of the Lithuanian devotional images at the time, wantonly forgotten book smuggler, print worker and supporter of the Lithuanian students in Cracow, Juozapas Angrabaitis (1859–1935), is presented in the article. An attempt is being made to outline his contribution to the history of Lithuanian culture. In 1893, J. Angrabaitis issued an exclusive catalogue of the devotional images in Tilsit, which in the absence of other archival sources is the main background when investigating the supply of images in Lithuania of that time. An attempt is being made in the article to determine the trade relations of J. Angrabaitis as well as to ascertain the signatures, pseudonyms and acronyms of the printed images.

Vincas Šlekys was an illegal distributor of books, editor, folklorist, and museologist. He was bom in Mokolai (a village not far from Marijampolė) in 1870. In 1879-1881 he attended elementary school and in 1882 he started his education in the secondary school in Marijampolė. When he graduated the fourth grade, his parents suggested him entering the seminary in Seinai; however, he made a different choice. He spent some years working on his parents’ farm and secretly teaching children. He was a so-called “daraktorius”. Later he continued his studies at the secondary school in Marijampolė, which he graduated in 1890. He cooperated with the publishers of secret Lithuanian press. In 1892 along with other activists, he founded a secret society “Sietynas” whose aim was to distribute the publications in Lithuania. Šlekys wrote the statute of the organization and was elected its chairman. In 1896 he went to Germany, escaping from the persecution of the Tsarist gendarmes. Later he moved to the United States. He settled in Shenandoah. He was an editor of the Lithuanian magazines and actively participated in the activities of the Lithuanian community. When he purchased the printing house himself, he started to translate and publish fiction. In 1920 he moved to Boston and studied at the Conservatory of M. Petrauskas. In 1926 he came back to Lithuania and settled in Kaunas. He worked in the Library of V Kudirka and published the magazine “Žinių ir literatūros aruodas”. In 1930 he retired and returned to the family home in Mokolai, where he was collecting folklore and antiques. In 1932 he organized the exhibition of folk art of Kapsai in Kaunas. This exhibition became the base for the museum “Sodžius” in Marijampolė. In 1934 he handed on 300 Lithuanian folk songs to the Folklore Archives of Lithuania in Kaunas. All songs were recorded by him in his home village Mokolai and in several other villages near Mokolai. In 1940 he did not support the annexation of Lithuania. In 1946 together with his sister in law and nephew he was exiled to Siberia, where he died on 6 November 1946.

Straipsnyje pristatomi knygnešio, leidėjo, publicisto Petro Mikolainio laiškai sužadėtinei knygininkei, leidėjai, bibliografei Mortai Zauniūtei, rašyti nuo 1899-ųjų iki 1909 metų ir saugomi Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekos Rankraščių skyriuje. Laiškų analizėje išryškinamas tarpasmeninių santykių modelis, susiformavęs XIX amžiaus pabaigos lietuvių kultūrininkų aplinkoje. Pastebima, kad stiprėja moterų ir vyrų bendradarbiavimo, bendravimo ir bendrumo ryšiai. Tai liudija P. Mikolainio epistolinis palikimas. Moterys buvo matomos viešojoje erdvėje, bičiuliškuose susiėjimuose, tačiau jų autoritetas, veikla vis dėlto buvo sunkiai pripažįstami. Straipsnyje keliamas klausimas: kodėl lygiaverte partneryste paremti vyro ir moters santykiai nevirto lygiaverčiu jų palikimo įamžinimu, vienodu įsitvirtinimu lietuvių kultūros istorijoje? Article presents the letters of the book smuggler, publisher Petras Mikolainis to his fiancée and colleague publisher Morta Zauniūtė. These letters are located in Petras Mikolainis‘ personal archyve held at Vilnius University. There are two hundred and nine letters of Mikolainis to Zauniūtė dating from 1899 to 1909. The article talks about the formation of new male-female cooperation and mutual relations in the Lithuanian culture of 2nd half of the 19th century. The main point of the research: why in that period of the history of literature and culture of Lithuanian, educated Lithuanian women only remained the wives of book smugglers and marginal struggles for the Lithuanian spirit?

There is a big erratic block near Punskas on the crossroad in Kreivėnai. It was placed there by the residents of the village to commemorate Povilas Matulevičius - a book smuggler from the Punskas region. There is also a stone cross near the Venslauskas family’s residence place which was built in 1956 and is called the Matulevičius’ Piramide. The author analyses the mysterious life and the activities of Povilas Matulevičius. He tries to determine which information is true and which is not. There are no doubts about Matulevičius’ activities in book smuggling as well as his masonry skills (the church stairs, holy water containers etc.). However, there are differences between local stories and facts. There are a lot of unanswered questions. The documents do not provide information about his birth date. There are not any notes about Povilas Matulevičius and his activities in Lithuanian Historiography. Vincas Markevičius, who was the most important book smuggler in the region, did not mention Povilas Matulevičius in his memoirs.

Straipsniu, artėjant 80-mečio sukakčiai, norima pagerbti lituanistikos tyrinėtoją Algirdą Sabaliauską, kurio 1979 m. išleista Lietuvių kalbos tyrinėjimo istorija aprėpė svarbiausius mokslo tyrimus iki 1940 m., nuodugniai supažindino su žymiausiais lietuvių kalbos tyrėjais Lietuvoje ir už jos ribų. Prahos baltistikai čia atstovavo trys ryškios asmenybės: Augustas Šleicheris (1821-1868), Leopoldas Geitleris (1847-1885), Josefas Zubatas (1855-1931). Knyga visu pilnumu atskleidė vientisą, senas tradicijas turinčią lietuvių kalba domėjimosi gairę. Straipsnyje apžvelgiama, kaip 1895 m. čekų profesorius Zubatas ir būsimas Čekoslovakijos prezidentas profesorius Tomašas Garrigue Masarykas prisidėjo prie lietuvių spaudos draudimo panaikinimo. Pirmas Prahos universiteto lituanistas, asmeniškai susidūręs su lietuvių spaudos draudimu, buvo Zubato mokytojas Geitleris, kurio paskaitose Zubotas iš pirmųjų lūpų išgirdo apie lietuviškos spaudos draudimo priežastis, vykdymą ir padarinius. Straipsnyje skelbiamos ištraukos iš Geitlerio ataskaitų bei straipsnių, kuriuose siekiama supažindinti čekų visuomenę su lietuviams daroma skriauda. Faktą, kad Zubatas kovojo dėl lotyniškojo raidyno atgavimo, pavyko nustatyti remiantis jo korespondencija su Juozu Angrabaičiu (1859-1935), kurios ištraukos pristatomos straipsnyje. Daugiau kaip dvidešimt šio knygnešio laiškų, rašytų 1895-1899 metais, saugoma Čekijos Respublikos mokslų akademijos archyve. Straipsnio priede skelbiamas Josefo Zubato straipsnis „Die Litauer in Rufsland“ (Die Zeit 65, Bd. V, 28 December 1895, 194-195) ir jo lietuviškas vertimas. The article is aimed at marking the 80th anniversary of a Lithuanian language studies researcher Algirdas Sabaliauskas, whose “History of Lithuanian Language Studies” published in 1979 covered the major scientific research before 1940 and introduced the major Lithuanian language scientists in Lithuania and abroad. The Baltic Studies in Prague were represented by three prominent personalities: August Schleicher (1921–1868), Leopold Geitler (1847–1885) and Josef Zubaty (1855–1931). The book fully reveals the coherent and old tradition of Lithuanian language studies. The article reviews the contribution of the Czech professor Zubaty and the future president of Czechoslovakia professor Tomaš Garrigue Masaryk into the lifting of the ban on Lithuanian press in 1895. The first Lithuanian language scientist of the University of Prague to personally face the ban on Lithuanian press was Zybaty’s teacher Geitler, who was the first to tell about the reasons, implementation and outcomes of the ban on the Lithuanian press. The article announces extracts from Geitler’s reports and articles aimed at familiarising the Czech society about the damage Lithuanians experience. The fact that Zubaty fought for the revival of the Latin alphabet was established on the basis of his correspondence with Juozas Angrabaitis (1859–1935), the extracts of which are presented in the article. Over 20 letters by this Lithuanian book smuggler written in 1895–1899 are kept in the archive of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The attachment to the article presents an article “Die Litauer in Rufsland” (Die Zeit 65, Bd. V, 28 December 1895, 194-195) and its translation into Lithuanian.

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama lietuvybė kaip socialinės būties forma. Tai ir tautinio išsivadavimo XIX a. antrojoje pusėje istorinė apžvalga. Simbolinė, archetipinė knygnešio figūra – reikšmingiausias istorinis subjektas, suteikiąs istorijai gyvybingumo ir susiejąs XX a. Lietuvą su praeitimi. Knygnešys – tarytum istorinis ryšininkas tarp dabarties laikų ir epochų, gilesnių nei XIX a. Knygnešio simbolinė veikla gyvybingesnė už daugelį kitų modernios Lietuvos istorinių simbolių. Darbe teigiama, kad dabartinė lietuviškoji būtis yra XIX amžiaus vaisius. Knygnešių sąjūdį galima laikyti tautine religija, nes iš jo kilo visi šiuolaikiniai visuomeniniai judėjimai, dabartinė kalba, kultūra, visuomenė ir net valstybė. Motiejus Valančius, sukūręs pirmąją slaptą knygnešių organizaciją, tapo visos veiklos prototipu. Straipsnyje pabrėžiama kultūrinė knygnešių sąjūdžio prigimtis, glaustai aptariami spaudos gabenimo būdai ir platinimo organizacijų pobūdis. Teigiama, kad knygnešystė kūrė naują visuomeninę būtį – lietuvybę. Kai knygnešiai iškovojo naujus visuomeninius ryšius, sukūrė naują istorinį tipažą – lietuvį, – knygnešystės uždavinys buvo baigtas. Demokratiškiausiu keliu buvo sukurta lietuvybė. Todėl knygnešių sąjūdis – archetipinė lietuviškos veiklos forma, lietuviškasis istorinis faktiškumas. Naujieji knygnešiai – Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdis – atgaivino tą archetipą, suteikė jam naują demokratiškesnę tikrovę. Article deals with the problem of social and historic being as the mainstream of the national rebirth. The strife for a real-being was the utter problem for the Lithuania national revival in XIX c. The activities of book-carriers have been the most acceptable form of the liberation movement. The symbolic figure of book-carrier is underlined in this survey as the central historical subject not only for 19 c. The vitality of the symbol is obvious for the all modern life. It links the 20th c. of Lithuania with the history of the country and its mentality at the end of 20 c.