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Revision as of 22:47, 14 July 2006 by Lokyz (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Antanas Baranauskas (Template:Lang-pl}; 1835-1902) was a Lithuanian born poet who considered himself as a follower of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth tradtion and despised nationaism, mathematician and a bishop of Sejny((Lithuanian: Seinai). He used pseudonyms A.B., Bangputys, Jurksztas Smalaūsis, Jurkštas Smalaūsis, Baronas.
Barananauskas was born January 17, 1835 in the town of Anykščiai (Lithuania), to a humble peasant family of distant szlachta origin. Early in his youth his parents sent him to a local bi-yearly parochial school. After finishing his studies there, Baranauskas initially stayed in the parochy as a helper. After that he was sent to a bi-yearly school for communal writers in Rumšiškės. There he started writing his first poems in Polish language.
In 1853 he finished the school and started working as a writer and chancellor in various communes of the area. During his work he met Karolina Praniauskaitė (Polish: Karolina Proniewska), a locally-renown writer, with whom he shared passion for the poetry of Adam Mickiewicz. With time, under notable influence of other notable Polish poet of the epoch, Juliusz Słowacki, Baranauskas poetry improved in style. because of friendship with Praniauskaitė, in 1856 her family sponsored Baranauskas entry into Catholic seminary of Varniai, trying to separate the couple.
While learning in Seminary he was interested Lithuanian language and dialects, also wrote a commentary on Lithuanian and Samogitian dialects "Apie lietuvių ir žemaičių kalbą". It was first attempt do distinguish both Lithuanian dialects.
It was there where Baranauskas started writing poems in Lithuanian language as well. One of his juvenile works he wrote during that time under notable influence of Mickiewicz, Anykščiu šilelis (Forest of Anykščiai), is considered to be one of the classics of Lithuanian poetry of 19th century. It is known, that he wrote this poem in anger, because lector in seminary told, that Lithuanian language is not beautifull enough to write poems.
From 1871 working in Kaunas seminary he began teaching Lithuanian language and wrote a Lithuanian language grammar "Mokslas lietuviškosios kalbos".
After Baranauskas went to Sejny, he made quite a reputation, when after he was appointed to Sejny he began to preach in addition to Polish in Lithuanian. He also translated into Lithuanian language three fifths of Holly Bible.
Alltough in his late years he enjoyed his life and considered himself as a one of Polish noble origin. He followed tradition of krajowcy, and tried to peacify nationalists from both - Lithuanian and Polish sides. For that he was rather unpopular amongst nationalists.