Sofija Pšibiliauskienė
Sofija Pšibiliauskienė
Biography
Pšibiliauskienė was born to an impractical painter Nikodem Erazm Iwanowski of Polish–Lithuanian nobility stock.[1] Pšibiliauskienė did not have formal education and self-educated reading various sentimental novels by Polish authors.[2] In 1891, she married their neighbor landowner Rapolas Pšibiliauskas (Polish: Rafał Przybylewski), but the marriage was not happy. In 1903, with two small children, Pšibiliauskienė moved out to Vilnius. She took random jobs as a bookstore saleswoman, seamstress, pharmacy assistant, but still barely managed to avoid poverty. In 1914, she moved to Kaunas, where she fell ill with tuberculosis.[3] She then returned to her childhood home in Paragiai, where she died in 1926. Since 1966, a museum is established in her former farmstead.[4] In 1993, a monument to the sisters was erected in Vilnius (sculptor Dalia Matulaitė, architects Jūras Balkevičius and Rimantas Buivydas).
Works
Pšibiliauskienė started writing after encouragement from
In 1907, her sister Marija Lastauskienė also moved to Vilnius. Encouraged by Pšibiliauskienė, Lastauskienė would write in Polish, her sister would translate and edit the works, and publish them under the pen name Lazdynų Pelėda.[5] It is unclear how many of the works published between 1905 (the first time the pen name was used) and 1927 (Sofija's death) should be attributed to Lastauskienė and how much of the original work remained after Pšibiliauskienė's edits.[5] The public did not know that there are two people writing under the same name.[6] Literary critics tend to treat this body of works as one item as they are similar in themes and language.[7]
References
- ISBN 978-9955-589-05-1.
- ^ LCCN 74-114275.
- ^ a b "Lazdynų Pelėda". Classic Lithuanian Literature Anthology. Mokslininkų sąjungos institutas. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- ^ "Lazdynų Pelėdos muziejus" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian Museums' Association. 2009-05-20.
- ^ LCCN 74-114275.
- ISSN 0002-208X.
- ^ "Pagirių dvaro sodyba" (in Lithuanian). Lithuanian State Department of Tourism. Retrieved 2009-05-30.